Real Estate In Your IRA? Be Careful

To buy real estate within a retirement account, you first need to set up a "self-directed" IRA with a custodian. Once you've established the IRA, you can then use it to purchase practically any type of real estate, including vacant land, single- and multi-family homes, commercial properties, co-ops, and condos. But you'll also have to adhere to a slew of IRS regulations.