., military deployed) until feb '14.  

No, it is not too late to start.You have some great advantages that a lot of people just starting real estate don't.You have experience running a business, your husband understands construction, and you have more cash and equity then an 18 year old wholesaler could ever imagine.With that said, you need to be very careful how you deploy your cash.

It's really critical that you work with someone who understands investing and the strategies you're trying to deploy.

My son bought a house in September 2022, lived in it, and then was deployed in March 2023.

Knowing how to better deploy that capital is another thing.

Here is 3 scenarios: conservatively projected low/medium/ and scenario 3 is actual recent net returns  (unlikely repeatable right now) I'm looking for alternative ideas to deploy $150-200k down payment on a much larger investment than a 1br house, so I can play the appreciation game as well as the income game.

While Tulum and the Riviera Maya have deployed many efforts to be not about just the beach, most visitors wouldn't go if it wasn't because of the area's beautiful beaches.

I will go back to the drawing board and see what other strategies I can deploy given the current circumstances.

They continue to do very well.I did just ditch one that I bought in 2022 that I decided was a poor choice and the $$ could be better deployed elsewhere.  

Than, vs debt paydown, I would consistently stock-pile, and than DEPLOY that capital, to be working for me.