Ask your 1031 intermediary a lot of questions so nothing is left to interpret because I've found they don't always disclose everything upfront.The good thing is that you're willing to invest out of state. 

Did you use a 1031 intermediary as part of the sale?

They let intermediaries like realtors or wholesalers prevent them from truly understanding the seller’s motives, which results in an imperfect understanding of the whole situation.

I disposed of a 4 unit building original purchase price was $262,000 Sales price $502,000.00 total proceeds to 1031 intermediary was $240k.

Also, you mentioned not being sure who could help with 1031 questions... a Qualified Intermediary for 1031 exchanges, like myself, would be your best resource.

It's okay to sell at a discount for convenience, but it's not okay to sell without knowing the retail value of your property and making an educated decision.Beyond that, talk to an intermediary to make sure you qualify for a 1031 and you understand the timelines and your options.

Make sure you use a 1031 intermediary for the proceeds of the sale.

You should be talking to a 1031 intermediary and an accountant.

The fee for the third party intermediary was about $1000.

Another approach I really like is you can give your tenant your AC # & routing number and the tenants can instruct their bank to send monthly ACH payments to your account, so that way you don't deal with any intermediary [I understand this might a few landlords uncomfortable].