New to 1031.... Help!!

[Miranda Wikert]

Hello... We own a rental home in CA. We owe around $300k and the home is being listed for $550k. We intend to reinvest our profit from the sale into another rental property. My questions are:

1. Do we have to reinvest the entire $550k in order to avoid capital gains? Or can we just reinvest the profit $250k to avoid?

2. How do we find a good/reliable 1031 intermediate?

3. Can we use part of the money towards a peer to peer lending company to qualify?

4. Can the new rental property be in a different state?

Thanks for any help!!! Sooooo new to this and it is overwhelming to say the least!

Miranda