I'll make sure to spend the initial deals learning and asking questions to gain practical insights.

Check out the rookie podcast forum, you will gain a lot from it. 

Nothing illegal about doing that, but if caught, the lender may call the loan due and if you don't correct the situation or pay the loan off, they willstart mortgage foreclosure.3) You could also go the HELOC route to tap the equity in the home, but the 12-month owner-occupancy will also apply AND the interest rate on the HELOC will fluctuate with the Fed Fund Rate.4) You could do a cashout refi as an investment property, but that will be at an interest rate 0.5-1% higher than owner-occupied rate.Suggest you meet with 2-3 lenders to explore your options about the above.Once you have access to funds, recommend you buy a 2-4 unit with 20-25% down. - You can buy owner-occupied, live in one unit, and fix up and rent the other unit(s).- If you're handy, recommend buying a property in the worst condition you can tolerate.

Your first step is to contact a savvy CPA.You, as a Member of an LLC, by virtue of the LLC records provisions in the LLC law, have as much disclosure access, and more, than a shareholder of a public company.  

For properties in Central Ohio, you can access records through the Franklin County Recorder's Office, which provides a public records search tool to help you look up property details, including any liens.

I have access to several of these programs but have not dived into them deeply.

I would imagine the LLC will have its own EIN, but we will still report the gain/loss as pass-through income on our joint tax return.

If I do, I need to sell it by July 2026 in order to not have cap gains.

Only your half of the gain qualifies. 

That higher interest will be a lower cost than the closing costs for the refinance so a net gain (depending on your new loan size).