My question is if I move my family back into the property for the duration of the deployment, can I still 1031 exchange it when we are ready to sell in the future or do I need to lease it out again prior to the exchange?

A perfect example of this is a 1031 exchange clause: The seller wants escrow to be 4 - 6 months OR until he finds something else to buy.  

Is anyone following this (see link to story below) and have an update on the status of the 1031 Exchange?

Not worth it.You can't exchange into improvements on property you already own but you could consider a reverse exchange.  

My first fix & hold just turned into a fix & flip. I need help with how to figure the numbers to make sure I don't get stuck with capital gains. Here's the deal...

3 months ago my husband & I purchased a ...

If they say "no" tell them you'd be willing to look skip trace their returns (mail rejected and returned to sender) in exchange for a fair finder's fee if any "dead leads" become deals.

@Timothy Murphy III Precisely!  

Sold Oct 2, 2017 $459kTaking that money to 1031 exchange into another fixer property in Breck.It can be done!

It is hard to trust someone you have no relationship with to be responsible to get the job done, done right and not be over-charged - there are times when you don't mind paying a premium for a job well done.About 10 years I did a 1031 tax deferred exchange into a house on Amelia Island, (outside of Jacksonville), I am in Baltimore, we do have a person we trust to do our work - since we only get to our home compound a few times a year.So tell us............. how's real estate investing in Miami, Florida?

@Aaron McCurdy Hey, pay off your mortgage if you want, it's no skin off my back :-)  My point is that you'd want that deduction precisely because you're not "most people".