You can offer free rent in exchange for specific duties.2.

@Brandt Tingen  we have a timeshare, and it seems like the Poconos are always able to be exchanged there, where as other places are really hard to get into and always booked up.

What I take from the stories here is that OP's friend's parents transferred a house to a lady in exchange for taking over the payments.The lady stopped making payments and filed for bankruptcy with $7k left on the loan.

Almost everyone within the commercial real estate investing realm shares a common misconception involving 1031 exchanges.

Any taxpaying entity can do a 1031 exchange.

Contact them, advise them that you are trying to get into wholesaling, that you are moving to Raleigh in a year and a half and have 15 hours a week that you can help them in exchange for tagging along.

If the same person is willing to cut it down for free in exchange for the wood, I'd let them do it.

Matthew,Yes, you would want to use those funds and do a 1031 exchange to avoid paying taxes on the cash or (boot) from the sale of the home. 

@Daniel ShulerIt is possible to include owner carry financing as part of a 1031 exchange.

I don't have personal experience on this but the attorney's I've heard speak on say that is precisely why you want to buy Subject To instead of Agreement for Sale, Contract for Deed or the other 50 names it goes buy when the Deed does not move.