I had already subscribe to QuickBooks but this is to keep track of the rental expenses and everything else that quicken offers to be more organize for the rental expenses for tax purposes.  

Sales are public information and so are property taxes.

also where can I find lists of tax sales?

You will need to do a Tourist development tax application and a short-term rental application.

If I do minor renovations before I list it, are those tax-deductible?

Consider the land value and improvements value separately (tax assessment is a good place to start but you will need to adjust it).

It is my understanding that they use your tax returns to verify your income.

-My tax returns look crazy because all my income is offset by massive depreciation.

If we want to use round numbers and say that all lender, title, insurance, and taxes total $7500 in closing costs, then you would receive $93,750 - $7500 = $86,250 at closing.The clients that I work with on refinances in Memphis are all cash-flowing really well, so I love the idea of picking up another property there.

If my tax preparer says I need something from all the platforms then I’ll worry about it but until then I’ll just go on about my business and report my rent to the IRS based on how much I know I receive from each tenant each month.