You must have a qualified intermediary in place prior to the sale of any property you want to 1031. 

I'm not sure if a separate intermediary is required that's a good question- @Dave Foster is the man to ask

@Faraad Mohamed You can go through "Islamic" banks but most of their lending is going to be a joke because (A) they source their capital from (mostly) the same sources as other financial intermediaries , (B) calling interest a profit or service fee does not change the underlying substance of the transaction and (C) servicing/interest substitute fees are egregious which often make financing not attractive through these institutions. 

And the QI (qualified Intermediary) is the extra component whose sole job is to facilitate the 1031 exchange for you.In order to completely defer all tax in a 1031 exchange you must purchase at least as much as you sell and you must use all of the proceeds in the next purchase or purchases. 

If you are considering a 1031, you also need a Qualified Intermediary.

@Eric Joy, talk to @dave foster, he's one of the 1031 intermediary rockstars here on BP.

.- If you're to pursue an exchange, a 1031 intermediary must be engaged BEFORE the closing.

My recommendation is to contact a 1031 Intermediary to facilitate the exchange details. https://www.ipx1031.comFrom there you will have 180 days to close on the new property.

You must use the services of a Qualified Intermediary to document the exchange handle the transfer of funds, and guide you through the quagmire of  IRS regs. 

If you wanted to execute a 1031, you'd have needed to initiate it and get a Qualified Intermediary on your team before you sold... but if this is a vacation home that you use for personal use, and not as a rental investment, a 1031 wouldn't have helped you anyway. 1031s are only for the exchange of like-kind long-term investment property (ie not flips and not your lake house you use 3 weeks a year)I am not familiar with the Opportunity Zone tax benefit mentioned above, though I am about to go check it out!