Creating LLCs, structuring growth and/or hiring outside companies

[Eric Hipolito]

I have my first rental property under my name and I know I need to transfer it to an LLC asap. But now, I've fallen into the rabbit hole of creating LLC's, structuring investment portfolios, protecting assets (holding companies, living trust), etc. I'm seeing that I can create an LLC on my own or have a generic company file (i.e. LegalZoom, IncFile) or pay larger sums from real estate CPA's/tax advisors.

 I'm not opposed to working with a tax strategists (I'd actually like to in the future) as I scale my portfolio, but some entry cost for those services seem a bit steep. Or perhaps they're not and actually worth every penny to structure early on?

As a newer investor, what is the most important structure that I need to establish to protect myself and future growth? If I do enough research, can I accomplish this all on my own or should I simply pay a service to get it done right the first time? All insight welcome. Thank you!