I edited my post to include that I have proceeds with a qualified intermediary. 

Using this process the money is never received by the seller, because the funds are held by a "Qualified Intermediary".

These are more complicated because the Qualified Intermediary must acquire and hold or "park" legal title to the replacement property during the 180 calendar day exchange period.  

If you'd like to pursue the sale and 1031 this property, I recommend you speak with a qualified intermediary and discuss your options.

You can set up the loan with a servicing company which will act an intermediary to accept payment from you as the borrower and disperse it to the lender.

You need to have a qualified intermediary, I am fairly sure that you can not DIY a 1031 exchange, as per IRS rules....your QI should know all the answers to your questions, and you should have one before you start the exchange.Best of luck!

I'm acting as an intermediary, putting together a buyer and a seller.

For you the most common options to move into passive investing are going to to be Properties managed by a 2rd party, Vacation rentals with onsite management, NNN commercial properties with much longer leases, and Delaware Statutory Trusts or oil/natural gas/mineral rishts interests.You must use a Qualified Intermediary who must be involved prior to the sale. 

Are there any legal issues with a layperson (who'se not an agent) introducing a buyer and a seller of a property for a fee. Essentially collecting a fee for referring the 2 parties to each other.

I'm looking to do a 1031 exchange on a sale coming up soon, and I'm looking for an intermediary and realized I'm not really sure what I should be looking for.