Investing in Real Estate Using Self-Directed IRA’s

Investing in Real Estate Using Self-Directed IRA’s- a savvy tool for investors looking to limit their tax liability while increasing their retirement nest egg.

Self-directed Individual Retirement Account (IRA) plans are quite simple. All you are required to do is to invest your money in anything you desire and ensuring that it is not taxed until retirement. The most important part of the self-directed IRA rollover is the tax advantage. In case retirement funds are in deferred tax retirement accounts, like the 401 k, for instance, the law allows such funds to be transferred to a tax-free self-directed IRA. 

Types of Self-Directed IRAs

Essentially, there are three types of self-directed IRAs, which include:

• Those that are offered by a financial institution,  especially those with large marketing budgets. The major drawback is inflexibility since the investors are limited only to investments offered by those institutions.
• Custodian controlled self-directed IRAs which offer investors with more options that those offered by the financial institution.
• The checkbook control self-directed IRA LLC. The investor has total control over the funds; therefore, they do not require prior custodians to approve each and every investment.

Here are Some Must-know Real Estate Individual Retirement Account Rules

Have you heard about investing in property through real estate self-directed IRA’s? Are you wondering the kind of self-directed IRA rules that apply in this kind of investment? Do you understand these rules? If you do, then you should be ready to generate large amounts of tax-free profits. Here are some of the rules that we should put into consideration:

• You cannot buy property that has been owned by disqualified person or yourself. Self-directed IRA rules forbid any type of deal that is self-dealing or even purchase property to benefit anybody in your family line. This includes your spouse, great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and yourself as well.
• Indirect benefits rule. You cannot gain from indirect benefits by investing in real estate. The importance of self-directed IRAs is not to obtain immediate benefits but for future retirement. According to the self-directed IRA rules, you are not allowed to purchase a vacation house for yourself and your family to use, a home to live in, or an office block just to mention a few. In addition, you cannot lend yourself cash from the self-directed IRAs.
• It is possible to purchase real estate property in IRA without one hundred percent (100%) funding from the self-directed IRAs. In case your capital is inadequate to purchase your own property, it is possible to pay for a portion of your self-directed IRA’s funding. For instance, you can partner with someone else to purchase the property. All you need to beware of is that the profits and expenses are split in proportions depending on how much was invested in the beginning to purchase the property.

• Ensure that your Self-Directed IRAs are titled uniquely. Your investment should be given the title of your IRA since you are a separate entity from your IRA. For example, {(Name of the Custodial Company] Custodian FBO [for benefit of] (Your Name) IRA} is the correct format for real estate IRA investments.
• All expenses incurred should be settled from the self-directed IRA accounts. Self-directed IRA rules require that all the expenses that have to do with any property that is owned by your IRA be settled from your IRA. These expenses include repairs, maintenance, improvement, general bills, and property taxes among others.

• Income earned from real estate IRA must be returned to your IRA. The bad news is that you cannot access this money until you retire but the good news is that it grows tax-free.

• The IRA investments that use funds that are obtained from financing should pay Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT). Self-directed IRA’s real estate could be purchased using financing so long as the loan is non-recourse.

In conclusion, now that you know the ins and outs of the self-directed IRA rules, you will surely agree with me that self-directed IRAs are a great way to generate passive income in large amounts for your retirement. It is sad that almost everyone is scared about investing but it is because most people view it as a hassle to remain accountable with their IRAs. For this reason, nearly nobody resolves to self-direct their IRA account. What most people do not understand is that you do not want to go at it alone. Find a reputable and reliable custodian who will help you manage your account. If you would like to know who we prefer to use, just ask.

written by: Francie