Following and reading through this thread as I am in a similar position to the original poster.I have evaluated some of the programs out there such as Brad Sumrock, Gino, Rod K, and others ..For me, the value has to come from the ability to have access to people who can help provide deal flow and others who are in a similar position as I am that would be willing to partner with complimentary skillsets. 

I have been a landlord and investor for over a decade AND also work as a senior/regional property manager so I feel like I see both sides and have some good insight on this- manage yourself if you have the time and fortitude to do so, you will make mistakes but it will pay off, get a real estate license (not hard to do plus you can sell and buy properties and get commission) and know the laws, be willing to do the research, NO ONE IS GOING CARE AS MUCH ABOUT YOUR PROPERTY AS YOU- that being said, not everyone wants to has the time ect or headache or likes asking for rent…FIND A MANAGER THAT ALSO IS A LANDLORD INVESTOR, I can’t tell you how many property managers I’ve tried training and that failed at our company because they just don’t get it from an owner or investor side, like “no tenant we aren’t going to come replace your stove again, no we aren’t going to clean your bathroom cause you didn’t , ability to analyze when to do maintenance and not, ability to explain to tenant owners POV, I tell every owner I am not telling you anything I haven’t done or I’d do my self, a lot of property managers are blue colar type workers and have never invested in their life and just done get it, 4 out of 5 property managers fail at my company because of this especially for single family homes, find a PM with speciality in SFH for your area, for example, a PM in Birmingham MI (upscale area) will fail in Detroit or lower end markets (but that’s were the best ROIs are)

The returns in real estate are not what they once were, but my conviction around the ability of RE to help protect wealth and my trust in RE above traditional financial markets remains unchanged. 

I actually had to get enough units where I could offer tenants multiple housing options when I purchased properties rented at way under market rates and then (an embarassing number of times) personally watch tenants that would "suffer" from a rent increase turn down smaller (but nicer places) or  nicer places in a less prestigious zip code (sometimes only minutes away) before I realized that I was hampering my ability to earn a living in order to subsidize the lifestyle choices made by a some random stranger that happened to live in a property I bought.

You might be thinking the LLC would offer you more liability protection when set up that way, but whether you own the property and rent to the LLC or the LLC owns it and you are the sole-proprietor of the LLC in its operating agreement will probably be the same in terms of ability for claimants to find you.

As a REALTOR® myself, it is to my benefit to find other investors that are capable of purchasing properties that I do not have the ability to / interest in adding to my investment portfolio.

They can provide insights into whether locking in a new rate now could be advantageous or if other financial strategies could make holding the property more viable.Additionally, consider the overall financial picture, including your ability to cover the mortgage without the rental income covering all expenses.

It can provide a centralized entity for ownership, making it easier to add new properties to the LLC's portfolio.Credit and Financing: Having properties owned by an LLC may impact your ability to obtain financing or refinance existing mortgages.

However, given the mortgage and the rent levels, you have the ability to let time dig you out of your hole.

I would much rather have the benefit of cash flow, forced equity through improvements, appreciation, and depreciation working for me. also have the ability to sell or cash out refi if I needed a large sum of money in the future.