I wanted to say hi and a hearty thank you in advance to all here.I'm currently active duty and looking to transition into civilian life in about year.

On the plus side, you can transition to a more flexible plan document by working with a plan provider who can restate the brokerage firm documents if you ever wanted to.

A little about me:Currently a mechanical engineer looking to transition to real estate full-timeThoroughly enjoying learning about real estate (i.e. market trends, hot-zones, fixer-uppers, investments)Love traveling and carsMy personal goals:Connect with agents/investors that are willing to share their experience in the field (i.e. any tips are appreciated)Build a real estate team and target investment opportunities and BRRRRsBuy my first investment property this year!

How should I handle the lease contract during this transition period?

I lived in this house with a regular mortgage for several year then transitioned to a rental after i moved out of town Lessons learned?

This would be my first investment/property I've been a renter all my life and decided it's time to make the transition.

I definitely plan to talk with them to see how I can help them with a smooth transition.  

Selling it and paying off our primary residence would be an emotional win, allow us to pocket more of our income ("virtual cash flow"), leave us a little extra cash to purchase another SFR or duplex investment property, and allow flexibility for potential job transitions in the future. 

Also, we are most unclear about the transition to the next home - how do we buy our second house and avoid getting stuck in the first one?

The life transitions that normally happen like downsizing and job transfers are not occurring because of COVID.