You should be aware that you cannot rely on this answer to provide you with any protection against tax penalties.

@Christopher Brown the question of legal entity is (obviously) a legal question, and if you're going to do real estate you'll need to form a relationship with a real estate attorney anyway, so I'd recommend you find a good real estate attorney (I can recommend a few in RI if you don't know any) and ask her/him.As a "general rule", for an active business with earned income such as wholesaling, an S corporation (either an actual corporation or LLC taxed as an S-corp) is commonly recommended, and a flow-through entity such as a single member LLC, partnership LLC or trust is commonly recommended for holding rental properties (rental income).There are subtleties between the right entity for legal protection, and for tax effectiveness, and the right answer for you and your situation might not be the right answer for someone else, so it's really a good idea to consult with an attorney and tax advisor about your specific situation and plans.

If you can cash flow that’s your protection from the market.

You could explore a LP (limited partnership) where you don't have to have all the LLC fees/setup but you also don't have the personal liability protection that comes with the LLC. 

I kept the addendum I used and just added a couple sentences that made tenant comfortable while still protecting me.

If there is a defect during the sale process (which is common), the court will protect everyone else before the buyer. 

We are gearing up to purchase another property in the next year or two and are debating....do another one in the same area, as we already have cleaners/contractors/services that we trust?

When you feel like you have acquired enough assets that you feel like you need more protection. 

As a former social worker, I am becoming very aware that as landlords and property managers we are becoming the first line of defense to protect vulnerable tenants.

Most of the content should be geared towards providing values (market trend, "hacks & tricks" of managing rentals, etc.) to your target customers, not selling about how good you are or what properties are available.