Had to contact them for a reference this week, not that impressed with my interaction there.

Associations can levy special assessments and have deed restrictions that also interfere with typical note collections and enforcement.  

Just collect my rents and turn a blind eye.What do you guys think?

I'm trying to convince him to move some money into real estate but he seems to have a negative impression of it.

I don't have the publication number, but there is one dealing with rental properties.Taxable rental income is the amount of income (rent, laundry, etc.) you collect less all expenses.  

I hope to learn from the collective expertise of the members on BP.  

@Sharad M. nice work, not overdone, I'm more impressed that you have 10 flips going on, best to you!

A license does offer a competitive advantage because, like Eric said, you can list your own houses and save part of the commission AND you can collect a commission on the front end essentially lowering your purchase price. 

Frankly, I'd see if you can hire a property inspector to come with you for the day to give their impressions.

That's my impression anyways, and you can find some of them on here.