The only requirement is to conduct business activities, which you do.As mentioned by @Ashish Acharya, there're no tax benefits from creating an LLC.

As another side note, I have a very stable, non real estate related job, but am looking for opportunities to take a more active role in the real estate industry.

@Brandon MotukMy stance is to stay actIvely buyIng but always stick to fundamentals and only buy properties that meet a strict set of criteria.

As @Jim K. stated to many human elements come into play you cant control.. and its one reason I am so bullish these days on new construction its easier to manage costs and I don't have to compete with all the wanna be wholesalers out there..

If you're actively looking for properties I can help with your search too as I am an agent as well. 

All:I have two active rental properties in my area, both are in my own name. 

If you have one unit but actively manage it, take the deduction.

There are professional business owners that can do much better but they tend to own many locations where they can scale and put in structure to get more passive and away from day to day activities.

There are several members who are active here on BiggerPockets with ton of knowledge, you can often see their names in forum discussions, try contacting @Michael Plaks or @Nicholas Aiola

I am originally from Mystic, CT currently active duty Military with 8 years left before retirement and I started looking into real estate investing as a way to augment our retirement income.