You should talk to a lawyer, but I will share my thoughts on the subject.It seems you need to establish if the use is exclusive and if converting it would release you of the easement.

What is the recommended percentage you should put down to be conservative, not over extend yourself, ensuring good probability of no financing hiccups?

I currently dont have the finances to start on my own and believe a mentor will help help extend my knowledge of the industry.

Scott Prock I highly recommend jscotts rehab estimating book as a good primer, and soon I'll be releasing a market based estimating tool for people who like their numbers tight.

I would hope that the data would extend back as many years as possible—a decade or more at least. 

In your opinion what would be your advice for the best use of a pension that will be released in the future?

now, you could sell one or two of them, IF your lender would agree to Release them from the mtg.  

I've reached out to some local realtors who specialize in investment properties seeing if they would be interested in acquiring someone for an intern type position, and thought I would extend the question out to the landlords and property managers around the Des Moines area.

Be aware that if you're ever wholesaling to a buyer using a VA loan, the deal may not work, as they require you to be on title for an extended "Not 100% on how long" period of time. 

You as the expert in marketing real estate can be a huge help: you will want a lease signed and security deposit made in time for underwriter review, prior to releasing financing contingency because hypothetical tenants and hypothetical rental income will not cut it.