That will put up a guard to keep your personal things out of any legalities done on your business and which is the way to go on forming a business,  Another thing you ought to get any financing so you can include in your offers,  That should make the seller more comfortable with you and your ability to close.  

It took some time to get everyone comfortable with this situation.

That is actually pretty common, but you'd need to find a bank comfortable with that scenario.

Would you qualify for a 400-500k loan and be comfortable paying that amount?

If you are comfortable were you are at... than dont worry about it.

If you feel comfortable, would you message me the bank you use?

Make an offer of 3 different prices that you are all comfortable with and let the owner choose.

But even if you don't buy any other properties, in 30 years it will be all paid off and give you enormous rental income every month, which will allow you and your wife to retire comfortably, and always have a place to stay if needed.The best first steps would be to talk with a lender who can help you figure out what kind of financing you can qualify for, and then a local agent who's experienced in 2-4 unit properties and understands your investing goals.

Ultimately I want to become financially independent so that I can live a comfortable life with myself and my family.

He had a way of talking to people that made them feel comfortable with his action and I did not feel that I could do that when I graduated college so I did not get into real estate.You might suffer from that too.