Leah BadachCES · 1031 Exchange Specialist
(718) 490-6800 Talk to Leah

Leah Badach, CES · 1031 exchange specialist

Plan your 1031 exchange before you close.

Leah explains the rules, keeps your deadlines and documents organized, and tells you plainly what comes next.

Talk to Leah How a 1031 exchange works

No obligation. Leah reviews every inquiry personally and follows up by email or phone.

Leah Badach, Certified Exchange Specialist, smiling in a studio portrait
Leah Badach, CESCertified Exchange SpecialistBrooklyn, NY

Leah Badach, CES: experience and credentials

11+
years of 1031 exchange experience
CES
Certified Exchange Specialist · verify in the FEA directory
40+
articles under her byline · read them
50
states: she works with investors nationwide from Brooklyn

Meet Leah

1031 exchange guidance, explained by Leah.

Leah Badach is a Certified Exchange Specialist (CES) and manager at The Sontag Group, a qualified intermediary in Brooklyn that has facilitated more than 5,000 exchanges over 30+ years. She has 11+ years of 1031 exchange experience.

Talk to Leah About Leah and her credential

  1. What she handles

    The exchange agreement and assignments before your sale closes, the escrowed proceeds, your written identification by day 45, the replacement closing by day 180, and the closing statement your CPA needs for Form 8824. Reverse, improvement, DST, and NYC co-op and condo exchanges included.

  2. How she works with your advisers

    Your CPA determines tax treatment and files the return, your attorney handles the contracts, and Leah runs the exchange mechanics and deadlines between them.

  3. After you reach out

    Your inquiry goes to Leah’s inbox, she reviews it personally and follows up by email or phone, and if an exchange fits you receive the documents to review with your attorney before anything is signed.

45 Days. That’s the Rule. — a 21-second explainer by Leah Badach on the 1031 identification deadline

45 days. That’s the rule.A 21-second explainer on the identification deadline, from Leah’s YouTube channel. Read the source-checked breakdown

The process

The clock starts the day you sell.

Two federal deadlines run at the same time from your closing date. You have 45 days to identify your replacement property in writing and 180 days to close on it, or less if your tax return comes due first. Miss either and the gain becomes taxable. There are no routine extensions; only IRS disaster relief can postpone them.

Your sale proceeds go straight to a qualified intermediary. You never touch the money, or the exchange is void.

Read the full 1031 exchange timeline, day by day See all the rules

Drag along the timeline to see any day of your exchange, or press 45 or 180.

Identify in writing45 days

Close on your replacement180 days

Day 45 · Identification deadline

45 days after your sale closes

Identify your replacement property in writing by this date. Weekends and holidays count; the date does not roll forward.

Day 180 · Exchange deadline

180 days after your sale closes

Your replacement property must be closed, not just under contract, by this date or by your tax-return due date, whichever comes first.

Full deadline calendar and reminders

Where Leah goes deep

Complex exchanges, handled with care.

  1. 01

    Reverse & improvement

    Buy the replacement before you sell, or use exchange funds to improve it. Both run through an exchange accommodation titleholder and finish within 180 days.

  2. 02

    DSTs & hands-off ownership

    Step back from active management and keep the deferral. The DSTs Leah works with are zero-cash-flow structures, built for full deferral and debt replacement.

  3. 03

    NYC co-op & condo

    Co-ops and condos raise questions a standard exchange does not: how the interest is held, board timing, and New York closing practice.

  4. 04

    QI safety

    Your intermediary holds 100% of your proceeds. Knowing who holds the money matters more than the fee.

Estimate

1031 tax savings calculator

See how much you could defer with a 1031 exchange.

  • Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
  • Deferral estimate only: your CPA determines the actual tax.
  • Want every tax layer? Try the full 1031 calculator.

Enter a sale price and cost basis to see your estimate.

Estimated capital gain$0
Tax without a 1031 exchange$0
Tax deferred with a 1031 exchange$0

Questions

Frequently asked.

Browse all 42 questions investors ask about 1031 exchanges Selling a rental? Start with the tax bill

A 1031 exchange (named after IRC Section 1031) lets real estate investors defer capital gains taxes by reinvesting the proceeds from a sold property into a "like-kind" replacement property. Instead of paying 15-30% in taxes at sale, you keep 100% of your equity working for you.

You have 45 days from closing to identify potential replacement properties, and 180 days total to close on the replacement. They run on calendar days with no routine extensions. The only postponement the IRS grants is disaster relief under Rev. Proc. 2018-58, and the 180-day period is also cut short by your tax-return due date unless you file an extension.

No. Section 1031 only applies to property held for investment or business use. There are strategies involving converting a primary residence to a rental before exchanging.

In a reverse exchange, you acquire the replacement property before selling your current one — useful in competitive markets. It requires an Exchange Accommodation Titleholder (EAT) to hold the property.

It depends on your exchange. A straightforward forward exchange is the simplest; reverse, construction, and multi-property exchanges involve more structure and work. Whatever the number, the deferred tax almost always dwarfs it — talk to Leah for a straight answer on your situation.

A Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) is a pre-packaged investment property that qualifies as like-kind replacement property — popular with investors who want out of active management. The DSTs Leah works with are zero-cash-flow structures: there's no monthly check — the return comes through full tax deferral, debt paydown, and your share of value at exit.

Your money

How your exchange funds are held

During an exchange your sale proceeds are held by the qualified intermediary, The Sontag Group. You never take possession of them, and neither does Leah.

Segregated accounts
Client exchange funds are held in segregated accounts, not pooled with the firm’s operating money.
FDIC insured
The accounts are FDIC insured. FDIC coverage has limits per depositor and bank, so ask how it applies to a balance your size.

Verify it before funds move

  1. Check the CES credential in the FEA directory.
  2. Ask for the account details in writing: the bank, how the account is titled, and how FDIC coverage applies to your balance.
  3. Read the exchange agreement before funds move. The QI vetting worksheet lists what to ask any intermediary.

For press. Leah is available for interviews, expert quotes and podcasts on 1031 exchanges and capital-gains strategy. Press & media

Talk to Leah

Tell Leah about your sale.

No obligation. Here is what happens after you reach out:

  1. Your note goes to Leah’s inbox, and she reviews it personally.
  2. She follows up by email, or by phone if you include a number.
  3. If an exchange fits, you receive the documents to review with your attorney before anything is signed.
Leah Badach, CESReviews every inquiry personally
Talk to Leah

Submitting the form does not book an appointment. Leah will contact you to set a time.

Why choose a certified 1031 exchange specialist in New York

A 1031 exchange, also called a like-kind or tax-deferred exchange, lets you sell investment property and reinvest the proceeds in replacement property while deferring federal and state capital gains tax. The rules leave little room for error: a qualified intermediary has to hold the proceeds, and the 1031 exchange rules in 2026 still give you a 45-day identification period and a 180-day exchange period, both counted from the day your sale closes.

Leah Badach is a Certified Exchange Specialist (CES) with 11+ years of 1031 exchange experience. She works at The Sontag Group, a qualified intermediary in Brooklyn that has served investors for more than 30 years and facilitated more than 5,000 exchanges. If you are looking for a 1031 exchange specialist or a qualified intermediary in Brooklyn, Manhattan, New York City, New Jersey or Connecticut, she works with investors there and nationwide.

Her work covers forward exchanges, reverse 1031 exchanges for investors who need to buy before they sell, DST 1031 exchanges for owners stepping back from active management through a Delaware Statutory Trust, and construction or improvement exchanges, across rental property, commercial real estate and multi-family investments.

Leah Badach, CES • The Sontag Group • Brooklyn, NY • [email protected] • (718) 490-6800
Serving investors across the tri-state area and nationwide. This website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice.