@Otis Clayton To partner in real estate effectively, establish a clear structure like an LLC for liability protection or a Joint Venture for single projects.

Alternatives to ConsiderIf you want to involve an entity for liability protection or other reasons, here are some potential approaches:Assume in Personal Name and Transfer to Entity:Assume the loan in your personal name and later transfer the property title to an entity.Important: Transferring title may violate the loan’s due-on-sale clause unless explicitly allowed by the lender.

Most LLCs are set up for liability protection or similar non-tax reasons, and especially in CA, the penalties for "non authorized" practice of law are steep that a lot of CPAs will not even form the LLC for their clients. 

I don’t know how many BP members own properties but I would assume thousands of members own 10’s of thousands of units.Yes I understand people buying 50-100-500 unit buildings need corporate protection.

While all the posts have at lease some legitimate points, I personally believe camp 1 is missing the opportunities present to protect assets under US law mostly because they don’t either understand asset protection, or don’t want to bother with it, so rather than do a proper evaluation they dismiss it as something that won’t work to justify their unwillingness to entertain the idea.Camp 2 is deluding themselves - which delusion has been enhanced by charlatans writing books, giving seminars, and selling packaged plans all of which either attempt to hide your assets or hide the ownership of your assets.  

I think my attorney is giving me a little more, like audit protection or some such.

Consider if it will truly benefit your tax position, liability protection, or asset management, or if it will just add unnecessary paperwork.If you’re in a state like California, keep in mind that you’ll have to pay $800 annually to the Franchise Tax Board, file a periodic Statement of Information (SOI), and submit a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report.It’s a good idea to consult a real estate attorney to ensure you’re making the best decision for your specific needs.

Just don't buy into the lie that it's necessary, that it's a 100% guarantee of protection, or that it needs to be complicated.Here's some generic advice.An LLC is useful for two things: anonymity and legal protection.

I gathered all my notes in a 50+ pages document touching on the formation and maintenance of LLC and business structures, transferring assets, protection strategies, trusts, anonymity, insurance, levels of protection, etc. including when you should do it, how many properties per LLC, due on sale clause, selecting an attorney, fees, checklists and resource materials.Doc: https://www.biggerpockets.com/files/user/CosIorg/file/tritoriam-fileAsset Protection Decision Diagram - to help assess the need for asset protection, and what to implement : https://www.biggerpockets.com/files/user/CosIorg/file/asset-protection-decision-diagramAsset Protection Onion Diagram - what, when and at what cost one should implement in terms of asset protection - https://www.biggerpockets.com/files/user/CosIorg/file/asset-protection-onion-diagram-v2What is needed for complete asset protection OR the domains that need to be intersected to find asset protection - https://www.biggerpockets.com/files/user/CosIorg/file/asset-protection-spectrum-diagram (this is more of a joke depicting the nebulosity of asspro rabbit holes).How a fully implemented asset protection layout might look. - https://www.biggerpockets.com/files/user/CosIorg/file/asset-protection-structures (overwhelming and overkill for a newbie in REI)PS.

Most who propose this arrangement do so believing they are adding a layer of protection or separation between the property or themselves and the operation but that's total nonsense as well.