My very first post.I have been searching and reading about 1031 Exchange and I thought I had a great handle on it, but the more I read and watch YouTube clips I believe I am getting conflicting information.

I know I can change the order of selling to hold the gains ones until the end and I know I could do an exchange into something new but I'd really prefer not to do either of those...I won't hold my breath, but let me know if you know of something!

@Dylan Roberts, put the 1031 exchange off the table for a bit. 

I currently work as a senior project manager at the largest concrete contractor in the country.I was thinking of offering my project management expertise & commercial construction experience in exchange for learning more about being a commercial developer from someone that has been in real estate development for awhile.Obviously the ideal situation would be something I can do part time since I have a day job.

One thing I would mention that you could do in the future is sell a portion of the property in exchange for the rehab.

You may find the odd hobby landlord that is willing to exchange rent for some extra peace of mind if he thinks you are just that amazing of a tenant.

Would I be able to protect that amount using the 1031 Exchange and not worry about the other amount since it's not affected by capital gains?

This will likely be my wife's preferred option (low risk, instant returns, increases available credit, lowers our DTI, etc.)2) Put the proceeds of both properties into 1031 exchanges and trade up. 

Ideally I want to 1031 exchange it. 

Or is it always better to 1031 exchange the property and just deal with whatever happens in the market?