Lots of "experts" were calling the peak in 2015 or 2016 - if you'd taken the advice then and waited for the inevitable crash, you'd still be waiting.  

I plan to re-kindle this relationship and work on deals for free for him as I know he has a lot of capital from a very successful exit earlier in his career.During this time without a strict job I also want to travel to different cities (funded mostly by credit card points and crashing on friends/family couches).

I have a family member ready to walk away from a house she bought with an FHA loan right before the crash. 

@Robert White Sweetwater County has been a series of booms and crashes. 

I plan to RV travel and want the apartment or tiny house as a crash pad as needed.

@Nathaniel C.Yes the impending crash is happening now.

If this was 2010 and the market is recovering from the crash I would say keep it. 

. , once we arrive in the USA ( will be living in Charlotte NC initially) , we will have NO ACCESS TO CREDIT for at least two years until we build up our credit history  in the US ( credit histories don't transfer abroad).

I was rather young for the 2008 crash so I don’t have the hands on experience in a down market.

Ideally waiting for a market crash/bottom.