Posted by Tim (Atlanta) on April 09, 1999 at 12:42:00:
Are you talking about a 1031 exchange? This is used primarily to avoid paying taxes on the gain that you have had in the property you own. Since you occupy the property, there is no capital gains tax if you have lived in the property for the last 2 years, so a 1031 exchange would not be needed. Even if you do a 1031 exchange, you must sell the property.
There are a few builders (smaller ones) that will trade your house for their new one, but those deals are hard to find.