.- There's nothing wrong with old windows with rope pulley in the walls so long as you're not paying the utilities or in there every year reconnecting the weights! 

Also there’s a podcast with the guy from Faster House that’s worth a listen.

The house will be on the market faster and you shouldnt have any problems .keep it simple 

Paying cash for the first place means, his cash flow will be higher, and I only suggest that as no one is going to lend him money without a job, and get ahead faster.

Set up a "Google" like metric that weights them negatively or makes it harder for them to start future Discussions. 

I'll throw that out as as suggestion for their team, but since you've got a lot on their system I suspect your voice may hold more weight. 

To make things even more complicated for you but also to make certain you realize the weight of this I will add that our current residence is under a conventional loan.

Soft pulls don't affect your credit and go off your records faster.

Don't pay it off any faster than the mortgage requires - it's at 3%! 

You're already looking at part time jobs, maybe you'll end up finding a way to pay your loans off faster through those or through a promotion (or even moving to a different company entirely, which often means a raise).