A few things there, Brendan.
First, an LLC with you as a member and your (wife, son, pal, etc.) partner as a 1% member will file a Form 1065 which is about one tenth as likely to be audited by the IRS as a Form 1040 with a Schedule E rental activity (which I presume you will attempt to show is an active business).
Second, you want an LLC because when your local Alabama handyman drives his girlfriend's uninsured truck into a van load of U of A medical school interns on I-22 when he goes to get some shingles for your roof, on your business, you don't lose everything you have or ever will have to an uninsured claim. Of course you could roll the dice and try to show that he is an "independent contractor" and respondeat superior does not apply. But, as Cousin Vinny reminds us, "we're in f******* Alabama."
Finally, get Turbo Tax business and also the 1040 version you need. The $200 you spend will help with your learning curve which you do not want to get from the CPA at $350/hr. When you have about 10 doors, get the CPA involved.