Now, deed information is on line and easily accessible, and interest rates have risen the last 3 years.  

Buying a STR has been on my mind for a while, but I got so overwhelmed with all the information online.

You can also check their reviews online at Google, Facebook, or Yelp.

I am finding conflicting info elsewhere online. 

This is a general response.According to NAR, 98% of people see a house on-line before they even contact an agent.

In my experience the basics for a functional RE based CRM are:Custom Fields for Data Objects (Leads, Prospects, Applications, Buildings, Units, etc...)A Screening Engine (background/credit checks, employment verification, etc)Online Rental Application (this should automatically run the application through screening)Ability to mass email/sms leads and tenants to provide informationSurveys/Inspection formsI've been building real estate CRM tools for years.

I'm diving into QuickBooks Online for the first time and could use some guidance.

The Josh Dorkin/Brandon Turner & early Brandon Turner/David Greene episodes were the best…realistic portfolios held by everyday people and deep dives into 2 or 3 or sometimes more of the properties, that kept me listening.The Josh/Brandon era was definitely top tier, but I think it was also a different time in Real Estate investing and what content was available online about it.

Is there an online platform on which we can do this or do you track this in a excel sheet ? 

BP offers free online videos and educational courses for you to watch and learn from.