My most recent was a hoarder with 30 weapons, hundreds of knives, stockpiles of survival food, rooms full of camo and camping gear, etc.

She had no money.I packed her up two bags of groceries from our stockpile, and bought over-the-phone an enormous bag of dog food for her dogs that the store then loaded into my husband's van. 

Would it be more advantageous to wait to invest in order to stockpile cash to purchase multiple properties when prices come down or should I get my feet wet and get started with less than optimal numbers to get experience sooner?

And good on you for sucking it up and living at home while you stockpile cash.

I’m a big believer in the long term success of total stock market index funds but understand that poses risk in the short term; though I also have a hard time stockpiling cash in a traditional savings account knowing that money isn’t working for me.I technically have the funds for an FHA loan or small conventional already but I won’t be eligible for another owner occupant loan until 2021 and would like to put more down anyways so I’ve set my timeline for six months - one year. 

There is no reason to "stockpile" NOLs - you can otherwise pull those levers (the levers of CSS and bonus) only when you need it.

So @Mark Lee, do you have a large stockpile of cash?

History shows that markets dip after a decade of wild growth (again depends on market).I think there are lots of factors that are causing people to stockpile cash: huge amounts of homeowners in default, millions of renters that will be evicted as soon as moratoriums are lifted, 25+% of restaurants / bars closing, major impending correction to the office market, potential large change to geographic requirements of work, not to mention an increasingly interconnected banking system, where if enough corporations / homeowners default on loans, it will send a ripple effect through the greater economy.

Does it make sense to stockpile cash for a few more months w/the intent of putting enough down to force the cash flow vs the stress of driving around outside of work hours and having frustrating conversations with my agent? 

As your learning the trade and working you will be able to stock pile some cash and have an opportunity to educate yourself and work on some REI relationships in your area.