Self Directed IRA Real Estate Investments

Self Directed IRA Real Estate Investments

Self directed IRA real estate investments make good sense. Not everyone has them, because not everyone is aware it is possible to have them. If your financial advisors only advise you to put your IRA money into stocks and bonds you may not know anything about self directed IRA real estate.

You may be someone who doesn't have the time to spend educating yourself on other areas that the IRS allows you to invest your tax-free or tax deferred retirement funds. In this short article you can learn a few things about investing your IRA money in real estate.

There are seven points you need to know when considering self directed IRA real estate. They are listed below:

1) Your IRA cannot purchase property that is already owned by you or a disqualified person. A disqualified person is your spouse, parents, grandparents or great grandparents, children and their spouses, grand children and great grand children and their spouses. There are a few others, which you can find in IRS Code Section 4975.

2) You or any disqualified person from list above, cannot receive indirect benefits from property owned by your IRA, such as taking a vacation in resort property or renting office space in commercial property your self directed IRA owns.

3) Your IRA needs to be tiled in the name of the IRA, not in your personal name.

4) The real estate in an IRA doesn't have to be 100% funded from your IRA. You can partner with a friend or family member. For example you found property for your self directed IRA real estate account that you need $100,000 in order to purchase it, but your IRA account only has $25,000. Your friend could provide the other $75,000. Your friend would own 75% of the property and your IRA would own 25%.

5) If your self directed IRA uses financing to purchase real estate, the loan must be non-recourse, and your IRA must pay unrelated business income tax or UBIT.

6) All expenses, such as maintenance, improvements, property taxes, and any other expenditure the property in the self directed IRA real estate requires, must be paid from the IRA. No personal funds may be used for any expenses.

7) All income from the IRA must also go back into the IRA account. You may not deposit any money, such as rental income into your personal account.

You will need a self directed IRA custodian to fill out all the paperwork required by the IRS. He or she will be very familiar with each of the points above. Don't let the details deter you from looking into self directed IRA real estate investments.

There are companies out there that can help you through the entire process, even the most important part of finding the right properties to bring you great returns. You can find your own properties, but unless you have lots of experience and you are handy at the fix ups that many properties will need, your best bet is to leave that part to the professionals.

Check out my web site to find out reputable people who have the experience and can help you earn great profits with your IRA money.

IRA Real Estate Buying

IRA Real Estate Buying

Purchasing real estate with your IRA can be difficult, especially if you do not have the right custodian. Many traditional custodians prohibit real estate transactions all together because they are more difficult than simple securities investments. Those that do allow them often charge fees for everything which can greatly increase your overall costs for the deal.

With a self-directed IRA, you can make most any kind of legal investment you want, real estate included. The other major benefit of a self-directed IRA is that you can minimize fees associated with real estate deals. If you have checkbook control of your IRA (likely through an LLC), you are free to write checks to cover any costs associated with your IRA's assets without generating penalties or fees.

Additionally, you can also enter into partnerships with others who wish to combine their IRAs with yours to make purchases larger than any one partner could afford. Such a deal is considerably more complicated and you will want to make certain that everything is setup properly and that all applicable laws are followed--but it is legal. Your most important asset in such a case will be the advice and guidance of your IRA advisor.
Selecting an IRA Advisor

Your IRA advisor and your IRA custodian don't have to be the same person (or company). Your advisor can help you set up your self-directed IRA and can help make sure you stay in compliance with the law while another company entirely custodies your IRA. Opening a self-directed IRA is usually better for people with some investment experience and some familiarity with the tax laws because your advisor may not be at your disposal.

Written By Scott Janko, The National Association of Financial and Estate Planning (NAFEP)
Click here for more details on the Self Directed IRA