As a new agent, my advice would be to pick a brokerage that has more than 25+ active agents already in it and that can provide you an ongoing training & office support system. 

Taking the emotions out of the working relationship -  that is, my 'sympathy'for  his dad being greedy and thus losing jobs left and right because his dad insists on masquerading as a contractor despite being just a handyman limited to CA CSLB statutes that strictly limit all handymen in the state from being compensated more than what's left of $500 after materials - I realize I have reiterated with son on several occasions that CSLB limits handymen to $500 per project as the maximum for both materials AND labor per project IS the basis for fairness.I realize being told that the above (current CSLB limits )isn't 'fair' is a huge slap n the face after having given formerly father, and now currently and ongoingly the son for the past 11 months and change, steady work.Perhaps it's a sign of the times where even handymen and jobbers would rather sit around making no money than taking what they feel is 'less' pay than they could be making 'if they were' a contractor?

It's harder to finance good properties right now for obvious reasons, and if you go NNN or DST then you need to be very clear about the costs (upfront and ongoing) that might eat at your returns. 

If there is ongoing damage, then you should take steps to solve it right away as an emergency.

@John Underwood I would show it to the builder first.This problem has clearly been ongoing and never resolved so he should correct it.

The appealing aspect here is the ongoing population growth and other economic factors.

@John Coulter @Theresa Harris @Matthew Paul Call them and tell them you have someone there who can fix it now and because it is an ongoing problem and causing a lot of damage you want it dealt with now and then take a lot of photos. 

You would have ongoing filing requirements with the State and would need to keep business records and documentation.

Recent legislation has changed the rules for security deposits and a landlord can charge for their necessary work based on going rates.

There are also closing costs, potential renovation needs, and ongoing operational expenses to consider on top of the down payment.