80 Unit Apartment Purchase & Seller's 1031 Options

[Todd Keith]

Hi BP,

I'm hoping to get some advice from you BP members who are experienced with 1031 Exchanges. 

Background:

I just made an offer on an 80 unit apartment building. I will be assuming the existing mortgage on the property, and plan to pay the current owner $4,000,000, above the assumption, to sell to us. (The assumable mortgage is held by different investor than the seller)

I will pay the seller $2,000 payments each month over a 2 year period with a balloon payment at the end of that term. The idea is that this will allow me to stabilize the property in year 1 without draining all monthly cash flow.

Complication:

The owner is interested in doing this, but there is a hitch. He would like to take the $400,000 and use it in a 1031 to purchase a larger property. He's okay with waiting until the end of the two-year term to receive the balloon, but not sure how that will affect his ability to use a 1031 Exchange.

Questions:

1. If he accepts the monthly payments, will the 1031 clock begin at closing?
2. If so, is there any way for us to take title/ownership and still allow the seller to defer the 1031 clock until the balloon payment is received?
3. If not, what other options would you suggest?

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

Todd