Have had quite a few clients use their 1031 exchange funds for a single purchase or multiple purchases (like you're planning).We coordinated same-day closings for financing on the multiple-purchase scenario, but I'm not entirely sure if that is a necessity.

I want to have the funds available to deploy when I find a deal.  

Are these insurance company funds? 

I can recommend @Zach Smith at Cetan Funds for hard money and @Melissa Hartvigsen on the agent side (she has a lot of Beaverton experience).

You can control a lot of aspects of the loan including LTV, length, type, and where to deploy the funds (BRRRR, flip, new construction).

Some groups seemed to be focused on using you as their cash cow to fund the organizers lifestyle. 

Typically: Pros: - Fully passive- Equity growth (hopefully) - Smooth process Cons: - No control- When they liquidate, you liquidate and need to 1031 again (usually they have other funds set up, however) - Make sure debt is rolled over correctly Hope this is helpful!

For time horizons of 5 years or less, I usually prefer something safe like a HYSA or money-market fund.

A lot can be learned by reading books, watching online content, and learning as much as possible about raising and organizing money via a syndication or private fund. 

Hard to argue selling the home and not having to worry about the gain.You can use 1/2 the funds towards your down payment of a personal residence and then still have enough funds to maybe buy 2-3 investment properties.