Is it necessary to set up an LLC?

[Jay Black]

I am just starting out in investing. I have been reading in the forums and trying to figure out where to start for a couple years now. I have finally started taking some action. I got a list of some potential properties where I might be able to find some deals and sent out direct mail today. 

I am now wondering if I should have set up a business (LLC?) before I started actively searching for properties? I know that there will be differences of opinion in what the right way to go about wholesaling, but I would like to know if it is absolutely necessary, or can I wholesale as an individual, not as a business?