Seems expensive to me but may be worth it to have quality tenants.

I use it for my personal portfolio as well.

Then shortly thereafter the same person called both my partner and myself and said that my Multifamily Mindset coach had called her and was trying to “squeeze into a deal we were working and was asking how much value are we actually bringing and was trying to convince her to remove people from the deal”.

You do realize the person you're being condescending to about lawyers, is a real estate lawyer. 

For example, splitting rent & utilities with a roommate on a comparable quality rental.

I use it for my personal portfolio as well.

I personally have one property that I purchased in 2017 that’s built some equity but I’m definitely an amateur investor.

It's ok to bypass scalable appreciation in your town in favor of a property in good shape or that you can put in good shape that will consistently cash flow with decent to quality tenants.

It's personal liability I am seeking protection from. 

I haven't personally looked, but depending on how far you consider "something nearby" you could start to look towards Bakersfield/Fresno or moving east.