Anyplace else is a gamble and having cash if it gets much worse would make you feel like you're shopping for deals at the dollar store.  

I bought a small refridgerator for their food that they only have had to use for one week, but they are now asking for reimbursement for the spoiled food items and laundromat cost. 

No matter how thorough your move out inspection some items you just can't see until someone lives in the house. 

If I itemize I can deduct maintenance, mortgage interest, and depreciation (which has to be recaptured, albeit in inflated dollars).

Big ticket items like insurance is one area where you can get big savings.I just got my escrow estimate for one of my rentals and the insurance went up by $200! 

There was no major items though.

If you get serious about a property you can look at all the CapEx items, estimate their remaining useful life and future costs, then figure out how much you need to put aside each month.

Just looking at this article from NPR, the shift is already happening and doesn't look to be slowing :https://www.npr.org/2020/03/24/820624379/from-grocery-stores-to-pizza-delivery-some-companies-are-on-a-hiring-spreeWith thousands of displaced workers in other countries(think India), I expect the number of Upwork, Fiverr and Virtual Assistant jobs to vastly increase as well. 

Again, the BiggerPockets store has some books for this or you can learn by watching podcasts, reading blogs, and interacting on the forum.

I'm currently looking at a house on the HUD home store website.