My long term goals is single or multifamily houses to become financially independent (like every other aspiring graduate xD).After I graduate I plan to hang out in the San Diego area, hopefully find a property to house-hack (though I realize that multifamilies are crazy expensive, so I'm looking for alternatives).

@Arthur LackeyA self-directed IRA is not a means to fund your investment in real estate.Rather, such plans are a means to diversify the IRA beyond stocks and into alternative assets such as real estate.An IRA can purchase real estate, but then it is the IRA - not you - that owns the real estate. 

It’s just an alternative.  

I need a tenant to tell me if they are unable to so that we can work some alternative out.

In this case, 1 apartment was 40% while the other 2 were 30% each (for total of 100%).Then I added up one year's worth of utiltiy bills (fuel oi or electric etc).

It may not be a bad alternative for the long run.

I do not know a whole lot on  it, but I would guess it would be a significant investment to get the necessary hook-ups installed on your land.I think Hipcamp is more of an alternative for state and national park campgrounds.

‘sounds like a good alternative to one SFR assuming it costs and cashflows about the same as one. 

Especially considering your alternative choice, go blindly invest in the stock market and hope it appreciates... but betting on "appreciation" is a gamble and "hope" is not a strategy.Collin 

Alternately, call some of the club leaders and ask which lenders regularly attend their clubs and have a good reputation.Good questions, Nick.