Perhaps looking at the % of houses that are sold and then re-sold within the same year, at a higher price, to measure the level of flip activity? 

If you think your brokerage services to list a property are worth $15,000 or 10% or whatever else, you can negotiate that commission.  

Sounds like you are on the right path in offering services for gaining knowledge.  

I would be careful about bumping the rent to include these services; tenants can get real careless with water consumption if they are essentially getting all they want for a fixed price. 

Not sure what line of work you're in, or what level you're at, but it is pretty common these days for companies to be paying for relocation and/or a short-term housing allowance for new employees who have to move.

I'm new to Real Estate but interested in learning anything and everything that will take me to the next level.

simple cash flow properties that will provide some level of profit after all expenses are considered

I would be interested in offering my services as an Interior Designer and/or estimator of rehabs, along with my extensive construction and supply contacts.  

Much of our data/lists actually comes from services that charge monthly fees for downloads, so I am currently not purchasing lists. 

We have a service master guy coming out to give us a scope of work, which may very quickly answer our question.