The real estate is effectively inventory in a sales business, just like refrigerators or stereos.Passive sources of income such as interest (i.e. hard money lending), rents from real property, dividends and royalties are not subject to UBIT.This concept is documented in IRS publication 598.The ROBS program is an entirely different structure as compared to a self directed IRA.  

Has the experience been good (and relatively cost effective)?

Be sure to check out the blogs and podcasts as well as the forums.  

I won't mention names however I could do a nice blog post about the lesson I learned this past year.  

Read my blog "Let's play TIC, TAC, TOE" and save your money!!!

You will find resources here from blogs to pod casts and forums.

I get nervous when I see posts on these forums blasting David Lindahl and the blogs on BiggerPockets claiming that they dont work for most people and that investors run out of cash or whatever.

She stated that the renter makes it difficult to show the house, and she may have to come up with money to sell it because of sales costs and comission.Her other property is in Ohio, she had purchased it in a tax auction, but never had enough money to fix it, so she has been accumulating property taxes on an empty property for six years.So I gave her a plan to sell both properties immediately and she was able to even make some money within sixty days of putting the plan in effect.

For the past 2 months, I have been trying my best to learn all I can from BiggerPockets (blogs, podcasts, etc.), and have been loving it.

I'm loving these blogs and podcasts and forums - it's actually so helpful that it's almost overwhelming due to the amount of information!