At the simplest level, “1031” refers to the section of the tax code that allows real estate investors to defer capital gains taxes when they sell an investment property, if they re-invest the funds in a like-kind property within a certain time frame. Colloquially, investors are “exchanging” one property for another – hence the name “1031 exchange.”
There are many complex rules regarding 1031 exchanges, including finding a qualified intermediary to hold the funds and closing on the new property within approximately 6 months.