Collier County homes are staying on the market longer — an average of 98 days in June, up 27% from June 2024, according to Naples Area Board of Realtors — giving time to negotiate and opportunities to act. Some residents are tapping into their retirement accounts in unexpected ways to do that. Self-directed IRAs are becoming a tool of choice for investors looking to move beyond the limitations of stocks and bonds to alternative assets such as real estate, private equity and precious metals. That expanded access is catching on: In 2023, private market investing platform Yieldstreet reported a 39% increase in new SDIRA account creation from 2022.