Finding 1031 Replacement Properties
in South Florida
The hard part of a 1031 exchange is not the tax rules, it is finding a replacement property worth owning inside a 45-day identification window. Our feed currently shows 3,562 active for-sale commercial listings across the five-county South Florida footprint in the asset classes below, and the listed market is only part of the picture: we source identification candidates from off-market owner outreach as well.
45 days is shorter than it sounds
Every exchange buyer starts the clock believing 45 days is plenty. Then reality: a week to decompress from the sale, two weeks touring listings that were overpriced precisely because sellers know exchange buyers are on a deadline, an offer that goes nowhere, and suddenly identification is due in ten days with one real option. Sellers of quality South Florida assets can smell an exchange deadline, and it costs buyers real money in negotiation.
The structural fix is to invert the sequence: replacement sourcing should start before your relinquished property closes. The tactical fix is to widen the funnel beyond public listings, because the listed market at any moment is a fraction of what would actually trade at a fair number. That is what a buyer mandate does.
What is listed right now, by asset class
| Asset class | Active for sale | Median asking |
|---|---|---|
| Multifamily The classic trade-up target; deepest comp sets and financing. | 1,787 | $950,000 |
| Retail and net lease Where most NNN exchange placements land; see our net-lease hub. | 300 | $1,550,384 |
| Office Medical office in particular fits income-focused exchanges. | 322 | $799,500 |
| Industrial Tightest fundamentals in the region; scarce and competitive. | 330 | $1,700,000 |
| Mixed-use Rent diversification for exchangers staying hands-on. | 272 | $1,700,000 |
| Land and development Qualifies as like-kind, but no income while you hold. | 551 | $135,700 |
Active for-sale MLS feed listings across Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Martin, and St. Lucie counties, filtered through the same data-quality screen as our public listing search. Refreshed daily. Data as of 2026-07-03.
How a buyer mandate beats the clock
A mandate is a written brief of what you actually need: asset class, county, price band, minimum yield, lease term, and your exchange deadlines. We run it two ways at once. Against the listed market, we underwrite everything that plausibly fits rather than waiting for you to find it. Against our tracked property universe, we go directly to owners of matching assets who are not listed, because a negotiated off-market deal is the one place an exchange buyer is not bidding against the calendar in public.
The goal by Day 45 is a defensible identification: one primary under contract or close to it, and two underwritten backups. Put your numbers through the 1031 exchange calculator to size the reinvestment target, then register your mandate or review the Florida exchange rules first if you are still upstream of the sale.
Replacement property, frequently asked
How do I find replacement properties before my 45-day deadline?
Work the search in parallel, not in sequence. The listed market gives you visible options immediately, but the identification-quality deals usually come from direct outreach: owners who would sell at a number but have not listed. We run both tracks at once, underwriting listed inventory while our off-market pipeline matches your criteria against owners we already track, so you reach Day 45 with three real candidates instead of one hope and two fillers.
How many replacement properties should I identify?
Under the 3-property rule, identify the full three whenever possible: a primary target plus two underwritten backups. Deals die in due diligence at the worst possible time in an exchange, and after Day 45 your list is locked. If your equity is large enough to spread across multiple assets, the 200 percent rule lets you identify more properties up to twice the sale price in combined value.
Can I identify an off-market property in my 1031 exchange?
Yes. The identification rules require an unambiguous description of the property (a street address or legal description), not a public listing. Off-market deals are often the strongest identifications because you negotiate without competing exchange buyers on the same clock. That is precisely what our buyer-mandate process is built to produce.
What happens if I cannot find a replacement property in time?
If nothing is identified by Day 45, or nothing identified closes by Day 180, the exchange fails and the gain is taxable in the year of sale. Partial outcomes are possible: close on less than you sold and you pay tax on the shortfall as boot. The honest mitigation is preparation, meaning replacement sourcing should start before your relinquished property closes, not after.
Should I consider a DST if I cannot find a property?
A Delaware Statutory Trust interest can qualify as like-kind replacement and is sometimes used as a Day-45 backstop identification alongside real property targets. It trades control and upside for passivity and closing certainty. Whether that fits depends on your goals and your tax situation; we can walk through the trade-offs and refer specialists, but the suitability call belongs with your CPA and advisor.
Tell us your 45-day and 180-day dates, your equity, and your criteria. We come back with a sourcing plan and the first round of candidates, usually within days.