Where to begin?

[Jake Allen Hattock]

I am a full time civil engineer in the Kansas City metro area and trying to become a real estate investor. I would like to have buy and hold rentals for a passive income. I am wondering on where to start? Create/ start an LLC even though I am only looking for a few rentals ( less than 5) to began my career in this field? What price range is a good starting point I don't want to start to low and be trapped for maintenance repairs and such but don't want to overwhelm myself with debt to begin?