Also check out BiggerPockets sister site for passive investments: www.passivepockets.com 

We've got a few homes near campus we use as student rentals and they certainly perform well.

Based on the user research we've seen most use cash flow as a proxy for performance.

You want an accountant who can help you strategize and who is responsive when you want to know the consequences of the financial decisions you are making throughout the year.There are over 20 real estate accountants on this site.

I rent STR mostly through airbnb which acts as a rental manager and I have an assistant that I personally hired to flip/clean the units and also on site for renovations.

There are absolutely areas where you can beat a 10% cap rate - I see it all the time - you just need to know where to look and what types of properties perform best.Some areas I would check out include Bailey, Arvada, Westminster, unincorporated Adams County, and many more I could point you to beyond that.

Since I work from home I think house hacking would suit me since I can live on the property and perform some of the easier maintenance tasks myself.

The whole scheme was buy a foreclosure, "sell" it back to someone that can't qualify for traditional financing with seller financing at a higher rate, once note is "performing" you can sell the note and make a lot of money. 

Finding the right price does not associate with market stability or future performance assumptions.

I could not find one person on BP or any other site but Jerrys that showed anyone saying they made any commissions from Jerry Nortons programs.