One more tip – people remember stories that trigger their emotions.

@Ryan Rabbitt Did you end up pulling the trigger? 

They would get that $500K tax free and the rest of the tax would be deferred in the 1031.A very elegant solution that puts $500K tax free in their hands now. 

Adding the ex to the title could trigger gift tax implications, so keeping it simple is best.

If I had an answer to my money issue then I would quickly pull the trigger on a good deal. 

Yes, I’ve got a mortgage on it now, but my cash flow went from only $1000/month to $2400/month and I picked up 3 more properties basically for free with no out of pocket cash to buy them. 

Had we scheduled the closing in the morning, there would not have been an issue.The only potential upside is that a disaster area declaration triggers changes in mortgage rules that could beneficial to the buyer. 

& how you become financially free is by letting whoever your renting to (I'm guessing that was a step also?)

My Wife and I are going to pull the trigger in 2025 and are looking in the Central PA area to buy our first STR.

It sounds like you are just having trouble pulling the trigger.