From time to time this question comes up: why can’t I use my IRA account to purchase a retirement home? After all, for many folks, the IRA represents a pretty large account, possibly even enough to purchase a retirement home outright – so why not? No Personal Use This is a thorny question, because there are lots of restrictions around this sort of purchase with an IRA account. First of all, you need to understand that you cannot use the real estate personally, if it is owned by your IRA. Specifically, you, your spouse, heirs, and any other linear relatives can not use such a piece of real estate while your IRA owns it. That factor in itself should answer the question for a lot of folks. So, for example you could not – purchase a home in a sunny clime and use it for your own purposes two months […]