I would love some advice from the BP community on whether going in on this with a conventional loan is an okay play, or if there are far better alternatives (hard money maybe?)

Also called an AITD or All Inclusive Trust Deed; the buyer is using the "wrap" loan to make payments to the seller, who in turn continues paying on his original loan while deeding the property to the buyer; the original lender must agree to waive the "due on sale" provision in the original loan; can be an alternative when seller financing won't work because of the seller's loan on the property; original lender may grant permission for a "wrap" to be created; the buyer may qualify to assume the original loan; getting permission to "wrap" from lenders is not easy; there is a temptation for buyers and sellers to create undisclosed wrap agreements; lenders may commission ongoing research of title records looking for undisclosed liens; if discovered, the original lender can foreclose on the seller and the buyer would lose everything, including their down payment.

@Nick Seginowich. https://fordbergner.com/legal-practice-areas/texas-probate/alternatives/Check this out.

I agree that diversification is key to any good financial plan, and you need to think in a broad sense across all of your portfolio (taxable and tax-exempt) when making allocation decisions.That said, there are a lot of alternatives to the stock market that you can look at besides direct ownership in rental properties which you are already doing. 

Alternatively, if I'm listing my own property, I can agree to pay the Buyer's agent a split, and pay $0 on the listing side, however a minimal of $250 per transaction and likely a minimal Broker Review and EEO fee will be required by the Broker.  

Would the natural progression still be a mailers and skip trace route?

Interest is passive in nature, and does not have tax implications for an IRA.Have the IRA issue a note to the borrower, secured by the property being flipped. 

Three years ago I had a STR burn to the ground in a natural disaster.  

Therefore, your best interest is always at odds with the interests of the PM, no matter how "honest" they are - it's the nature of the beast.

They are all natural flow and vented through the chimney.