I spoke with a mortgage lender from Chase and was told that I need to show 3 years of steady income on my own which may make the lending process a tricky one.

Also remember that generally speaking lenders are much more conservative on hotels than they are on apartments/industrial/office/retail.

A far more likely scenario is that it's hung up in some lender's foreclosure backlog (or some court's probate proceedings) and will eventually hit the market as an REO or probate listing. 

There are several things to consider here before accepting a blanket answer such as  is it better to lend than flip with an IRA.As a lender, the IRA is limited to normal rates of interest.  

However, secured creditors such as a mortgage lender can seek the collateral to satisfy the debt.

You might want to consider investigating ability to get a portfolio loan on revised assessed value with a commercial lender or try a 1031 exchange on some of your initial properties to be able to accelerate your plan as you get into years 5+ of the journey.good luck!

Mark, welcome aboard.BP is a great conduit for RE investment advice and insights.My company is both a private buyer and private lender on lower ARV $ properties throughout the U.S. 

Should I be shopping for a different title company or a different lender?

Yes, there are closing costs, like your appraisal but some lenders may pay other costs, or you will and they may advance those costs on your account.

Call a few hard money lenders and they can help you.