It is snowing now, here in NJ, and as I was walking outside and going to my computer to go on BP, I was thinking that this site is like a well worn path in the snow: the pioneers struggled to make a path, and those following get to enjoy an easier path already formed by others. 

Does it have more of a traditional or contemporary feel to it?   

The first property I purchased was a traditional sale and I put a loan on it through Wells Fargo. 

Such institutions provide the necessary processing services to document non-traditional asset investments with an IRA and will act purely as the processing layer. 

Besides going the traditional route and asking a bank for a loan, is there some other creative way to make this happen by leveraging my existing equity?

And in the podcast and in other places I keep hearing people say they get hard money lenders or put up their own capital or some other form of financing to originally purchase and reno a house and then refi with a traditional lender. 

Here are some options I offered: I could just buy it outright with a traditional mortgage. 

(Which goes against traditional thinking) But Grant has taught me that this way of thinking put a limit on my potential.

The contribution to a traditional IRA may or may not be fully deductible depending on the contributor's income and whether or not he is covered by an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

I am not sure of my chances with HMLs because it will be my first and i can't do traditional loan beause of all the money i'll need to put down upfront.