Ideally though, you need to make sure the deferred maintenance is covered somehow so it doesn't bite you in the a$$ later. 

That being the case, I would like to take advantage of the fact that I may be out of work for a while and be in a very low tax bracket right now.

Super low prices and high rents.  

You can check out the book on how to buy with low money down by Mr Turner on BP for more creative ways.

I have a few new properties and am looking into buying more but want to know from people that have been doing this for 5, 10, 15,20 years how much on average they have spent on maintenance/capex each month or year.

I have a few new properties and am looking into buying more but want to know from people that have been doing this for 5, 10, 15,20 years how much on average they have spent on maintenance/capex each month or year.

Multiple low ball offers...

My usual approach is to find 3/1 or 3/2 single family houses in a good school district, but my budget will be rather low for this move since my family is staying in OH and we'll be running two households. 

Interest only, low interest cost, can be tax write off.

Nothing more than trumped up maintenance complaints.