You have your life in California, unless you are looking for another job, invest with a group that can handle the transaction for you. 

And my recent transactions in IOWA thats a whole nother enchilada with their title abstracts literally compiled and handed to the buyers for safe keeping..

I also could take 2.5% from the transaction. 

A buyer's agent often knows the seller's agent from previous transactions and knows how they work and there usually would not be a question about this.2.

Do we need to go through the whole condemnation process to qualify the transaction for a 1033 exchange?

The OP would have to let us know if she worked through one of them though.The larger are well known TK resellers/marketing companies are:RTRHartmanreal wealthMaverickNorada Most of them also do other things than TK  and some of them are also principals in the transactions not just marketers. 

I would pay one of them to review the full details of the transaction and give you a road map of how to proceed before going any further.

Often, brokers of large multifamily properties put out lists of their recent transactions.

Now, you are asking can you use a Gap/Transactional funder for the downpayment and closing costs? 

When your in Transactional Real Estate like we have been and its been quite good since the GFC  cash flow at 200.00 a door has no interest for us..