Yes, this is absolutely possible. You can do so by transferring your 401k into an IRA at one of the many self directed IRA custodians.(If you qualify to use a self-directed 401k, I strongly recommend that as a far superior alternative. The truly substantive reasons for that recommendation are here and here.)A previous comment said that most real estate people prefer not to keep real estate in a tax-deferred account. Indeed, there are some great reasons not to buy real estate in an IRA, but those reasons are only relevant in an academic context, as for many people, the capital they want to use to purchase real estate exists only inside the IRA, but not outside of it.If you donu2019t already have a clear idea of the type of property youu2019d like to purchase, Iu2019d recommend that you consider turnkey rental property, which is simply an income producing rental property that you purchase with a paying tenant and professional property manager already in place.But to focus on the core of your question: YES, you absolutely can roll your 401k into an IRA capable of allowing you to acquire real estate, and itu2019s done every single day.