I have the funding and am ready to pull the trigger, but have not bought anything in 2018 yet.

Rationale here hopefully is obvious... that you are reducing / eliminating your personal mortgage while at the same time being able to pull the trigger and invest should a worthwhile opportunity come up.If this theory is sound, I don't see why you wouldn't keep a HELOC open even if your home is 100% paid off?

Don't be so quick to pull the trigger on late rent.Good luck.

So, I close in my own name but I can just turn right around and quit-claim it to my LLC without triggering a due-on-sale clause?

You should consult with an attorney to see whether you can be liable for a pet-caused injury simply because you own the property.

As this assignment is not recorded it will not trigger the due on sale clause.

Transfering the property from yourself to the LLC could trigger the 'due on sale' clause of your mortgage which i think is pretty standard for all mortgages.

I've found a few places in Ohio I'm interested in buying but I lack the knowledge I feel to pull the trigger.

@Albert Gayed in general contributions into an entity do not trigger a taxable event. 

@Irina Belkofer - The transfer most likely will trigger the Due on Sale clause (DOS) - in the past, instances of the banks calling the loan due might been rare due lowering interest rates, but in an environment of raising rates, and especially with older loans where the bulk of the interest portion was recovered already, the bank has plenty of interest in recalling the loan and redeploying at higher rate.