I work as a legal secretary and want to support my "art habit" (as well as my retirement) by holding onto rental properties, and probably living in one of them in a few years.  

Go to the Secretary of States website for Indiana and follow the prompts to set up an LLC.

There are 3 considerations here:(1) deciding which entity to use from a tax perspective & obtaining and EIN number(2) deciding which entity to use from a legal perspective & getting a quality Operating Agreement in place among the members(3) submitting the paperwork properly to the Secretary of StateBasically, they have all been discussed here.

Easy and cheap to create and maintain on Secretary of State web site.  

Walk through together to make sure.Always get backup contractors because they get sick, die, leave you etc.Make sure contractor has his name or company on the permitCheck real estate commission for licenses of realtorsCheck secretary of state to make sure contractor is licensedIf you have mold, asbestos, radon make sure the contractor is certified to remove it.General contractors do not like to work with subs that they do not chooseProject manager can not have too much going on or else they will neglect youMake sure you get the general contractor sign over a document regarding he will be responsible for paying subs because you do not want his subs to turn around and sue you because they say he did not pay themGet the names and phone numbers of all subsRecord all phone calls. 

If you want checkbook control, an LLC must also be established with the Secretary of State.  

Then go to your local Secretary of State and look up the owner of the LLC or Corp.  

I'm currently a secretary with a Bachelor's Degree in  Criminal Justice. 

Seriously - required to sit at the front desk as an unpaid secretary for 32 hours a month??  

@Logan SherwoodYou need to read the rules on the Secretary of State website and your local county/city websites to determine if you need a business license.