Free 1031 Exchange Tool
Two deadlines. Zero extensions. Enter the date you closed on your relinquished property and see your 45-day identification window and 180-day closing deadline — with a visual timeline showing exactly where you stand today.
This is the date the sale of your old property (the one you sold) actually closed — the date funds transferred and title changed hands. If you haven't closed yet, enter your expected closing date to plan ahead.
Use the date your escrow closed — not the signing date or recording date.
45-Day Identification Deadline
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180-Day Closing Deadline
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The Most Critical Requirement
A Qualified Intermediary (QI) — also called an Accommodator or Exchange Facilitator — is a third party who holds your sale proceeds during the exchange period. The IRS requires one for every 1031 exchange. This is not optional paperwork; it is a legal requirement without which the exchange is disqualified.
The most expensive 1031 mistake: Sellers who complete their sale, receive the proceeds into their personal bank account, and then decide to do a 1031 exchange. Once you touch the money — once it lands in your account — the exchange is dead. The IRS calls this "constructive receipt" and it immediately triggers the capital gains tax event that the 1031 was supposed to defer.
Your QI must be identified and their agreement signed before your sale closes. The QI receives the proceeds directly from escrow, holds them during the exchange period, and then releases them to the closing of your replacement property. You never touch the money. That's the entire structure.
What the 45-Day Window Requires
Within 45 days of your sale closing, you must formally identify potential replacement properties in writing to your QI. "Formal" means written notice specifying each property clearly enough to be unambiguously identified — typically by legal description or street address. Verbal conversations with your QI or broker do not count. An email to your friend about what you're thinking of buying does not count. Only written notice to your QI.
The IRS allows you to identify under one of three rules:
Most common
You can identify up to 3 properties regardless of their total value. You don't need to buy all three — you just need to identify them. Most exchangers use this rule.
For larger exchanges
You can identify any number of properties as long as their combined fair market value doesn't exceed 200% of the value of your relinquished property. Useful when you want more options than three properties.
High-value situations
You can identify any number of properties at any total value — but you must actually acquire 95% of the total identified value. This rule is almost never used in practice because it's nearly impossible to satisfy.
What Goes Wrong
RV park 1031 exchanges fail for predictable reasons. Every item below is a real-world failure pattern we've seen or heard about from sellers navigating this process.
The most common and most expensive mistake. Once the money lands in your account, the exchange is over. This happens when sellers don't engage a QI before closing, or when their QI fails to route the funds properly.
The IRS grants no extensions for the 45-day window except in federally declared disasters — and even then, only in very specific circumstances. Missing by one day for any other reason disqualifies the exchange. Set a calendar reminder for day 40, not day 45.
You identify a great RV park in the Smokies corridor — but it has title issues, the seller gets cold feet, or financing takes longer than expected. Day 180 arrives and the replacement property hasn't closed. Your exchange fails and the full tax liability is due for the tax year of your original sale.
If your replacement property costs less than your relinquished property, the difference (called "boot") is taxable. This happens accidentally when sellers receive cash back at closing, when the replacement property has a lower loan balance, or when the exchange isn't structured carefully. Any boot is taxed in the year of the exchange.
For real estate, "like-kind" is broadly defined — an RV park can exchange into bare land, a commercial building, or another RV park. What doesn't qualify: personal property, stocks, partnership interests, or property held primarily for sale (dealer property). Vacation homes used personally can create complications.
QIs are largely unregulated. Some have failed to return exchange funds — either through fraud or insolvency — leaving sellers liable for the full tax. Use a QI affiliated with a reputable institution, and verify they carry fidelity bonds and E&O insurance before signing their agreement.