I will use hard money lender at first as they need rehab, then refinancing with the bank.

Would the bank go after them? 

Pros to my current position: Secure, w2, pay is above average, benefits are stellar, schedule is somewhat flexible (can leave if I need to without penalty; vacation when I want - utilizing banked time on both), 3 miles from home, and hopefully a pension in 17 years. 

I'm looking to apply these skills to lending/mortgage banking, investment/property management, acquisitions or development. 

That’s how the buyers have been paying for their own realtor and then paying bank interest on the commission, while the bank financed an inflated price. 

I have read LLC's are not the best to buy real estate with it being difficult to get loans from banks due the limited liability. should I put these properties under my name, or should create some sort of corporation/llc to put my properties under. 

Note that my experience is limited to NC, SC, VA jurisdictions, so keep that in mind when reading this or my other posts about solar. 

A local bank approved me a 200k home equity loan at 7.5% at $1,447/mo and currently talking to mortgage originator about refi options.

I would call 10-15 local banks and credit unions and ask to speak to their business banker about business loans in LLCs.

Banking on a hope that "if" something that you can't control happens, you "might" start to get positive CF starting in a few more years (also losing money) so you might recover all of your losses in about 10 years, is ridiculous.