In our area property management companies charge anywhere from 7-13% a month and owners/investors give up a lot of their control over their properties. 

Doing illegal things to try and take this into your own hands will cause you to lose even more money than you already are losing in lost rent.

If not, how do I go about getting check book control of the IRA?

You may find that there's a more advantageous business entity structure which will help you control your tax liability while maximizing your deductions.I'm not an attorney or accountant myself, so I apologize I can't provide more details / better information.

I mean seriously....aren't you already spending enough on the rehab that adding more lost rent just erodes your bottom line that much further?

It is usually controlled by the language in the code. 

You can't control what people think of your age.

Yes, real estate gives you more control over your own financial destiny, but I never tell my clients to put all their eggs in one basket.

That always makes for a good education so all won't be lost.

I have made the decision to refocus how I am spending my time to make income and transition from the "9 to 5" to more control of my time, relationships and income ability.