They will always say yes, because every investor wants off market deals, so then just exchange business cards.

I know little to nothing about 1031 exchanges.

At the point where residential loans become harder to get I will do a 1031 exchanged into a apartment complex.

There are some guidelines to follow in order for "vacation property" to qualify in an exchange as replacement property:According to Revenue Procedure 2008-16 - The purchase of a vacation property or a second home will qualify as replacement property in a tax-deferred exchange transaction if the following safe harbor requirements are met: The subject property is owned and held by the investor for at least 24 months immediately following the 1031 Exchange ("qualifying use period"); andThe subject property was rented at fair market rental rates to other people for at least 14 days (or more) during each of the following two (2) years; andThe investor limits his or her personal use and enjoyment of the property to not more than 14 days during each of the following two (2) years, or ten percent (10%) of the number of days that the subject property was actually rented out to other people during each of the following two (2) years. 

Then buy another with the proceeds and do it again.There are a few other strategies that you can use like refinancing to try and capture some of the equity gain, sell using a 1031 exchange after you have it fully rented, etc. but the two above are your basic options.

A coach can add tangible value in exchange for their time, much like an accountant, attorney, counselor, etc. 

I've been reading up on the 1031 exchange and this sounds like something that I'm interested in, however, the rules are very specific and there are time constraints. 

In my area QIs typically charge around $1500-$2000 to do an exchange.

Simple... risk.If you borrow from yourself ( via a 401k loan) you are risking your own money. if you borrow from someone else they are taking on the risk in exchange for higher interest rate.

So unless you are looking at the USVI, Guam, or American Samoa you could not do a 1031 exchange.