people get sucked in on the high return.. high return is high risk

Do you have any recommendations how to distinguish great architect from not that great for my project?  

I always recommend to anyone start with a duplex, manage it from there and then grow. 

Look at other things like their presence online and how they handle themselves online and on forums.

I would recommend attending local RE meet ups if possible.

Any opinions and recommendations appreciated.

Generally, I would recommend giving your Airbnb at least 6 months to build some credibility.

I recommend you avoid Section 8 until you've spent a few weeks learning more about it and deciding whether it would be worth it to you.One thing you need to know up front is that there's a lot of extra paperwork involved.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Check with James Wise's site for his Cleveland LBP requirements summary, it's much more useful than what I can offer as I'm not in the Cleveland market.