Lots of questions - just getting started

[Frank B.]

Hi All,
I am interested in getting into the real estate business, specifically single family rentals. I have 2 houses that I rent already but both of them are in my name since I originally bought them as my primary residences and then moved for my job both times and just rented them out to friends and family. That worked out quite well and I am looking at paying off one of them this year and am doing pretty well on the other one too. My questions are, should I get these properties under an LLC to protect myself and if I intend to keep adding properties and go into business anyway? And what are my next steps in growing this business and generating income? I'm really getting tired of my day job to be honest and I would love to start getting into real estate and be more 'my own boss' if you will. I've had good luck with these homes so far and really enjoy landlording and doing repairs etc. My wife makes a good income and my income is pretty much disposable to us at this point so I can use most of it to pay off these properties and invest in new ones. But I'd like to be able to quit in 2 or 3 years and just manage property and have a bit of income off of that. What do you all think? What are my next steps? Start an LLC > Find a new property > ... What is the quiqest way to get some decent income from this if I have 300-400k equity in my other homes? Thanks for any advice.

Frank