I am very curious at the STR loophole for tax purposes.

I will wait until we've held the lot for at least 1 year to avoid additional taxes owed per my CPA's advice.

Plug it all into BNBCalc and share it so others can give you feedback- look at the tax savings via the "short-term loophole" at the bottom and learn how that functions as well as it can be a huge aspect of your investment.

From Wikipedia, Alabama has the second lowest property taxes behind Hawaii.2.

I think the tax benefits combined with building equity is the goal, cash flow is not a major issue thankfully with our household w2 income.

She had no use for it and the taxes were becoming a burden.

What apps should I use for setting up a system to invest in tax deeds?

Since you requested any book recommendations, I wanted to point you towards Tax Free Wealth by Tom Wheelwright. 

If your parent’s currently occupy the home, at death if you move in you can get their property tax basis. 

Definitely discuss w your tax advisor too.