And what do you see on the horizon for the real estate markets?

I had planned to do this this spring with my rental house, the idea being that when mr. Pique retires in two years, we'll already have the proceeds from the rental house invested in the house we want to retire to. But two things are necessary to make this happen--1. We can get a mortgage for $150-200k. 2. The rental market remains strong enough that we can find a tenant able to pay $1500/mo or more for the new house.

Is this now a bad time to try to do this?

I've done several 1031 exchanges. They're not terribly difficult but there are a number of rules you must follow to the letter.

You need to start with what's called an "accommodater". You can't do the exchange without one and that person will tell you the steps you need to take to make sure it all goes smoothly.

Here's an accommodater a friend of mine uses. The website has some good info:

https://www.ipx1031.com/

As for timing, that's anyone's guess and it's going to vary widely by location.

Thanks, Steve. I already have a QI and have gone over all the rules. I guess I should talk to a local real estate agent and find out what the rental outlook is. I'm thinking not good, but there aren't any stats yet one way or the other. One of the reasons I'm in the market I'm in is that the pressure from university students has kept vacancies low. But if their classes are going to be all online...