Tip - cut a small hole where the noise is coming from and drop in some rodent poison.

and need either a 2 unit (or more) property or a small property great for short term rental such as air b&b rentals at the beach.  

This all makes me thankful for developing a relationship with a small portfolio lender.I have several loans with them.

No one can make that decision other than you... although hearing a lot of other peoples opinions might help you decide what makes you comfortable.Now if a small down payment amount is all the capital you have, that is what it is....is it better to keep renting than to buy?

Professionally, I work on a small investment team managing private money.My target property is small multi-family units (2-4 units). 

You should check out, via your mortgage broker, the Fannie and/or Freddie Small Balance loans. 

I have spent a lot of time reading through guides like Brandon Turner's How to Estimate Future CapEx Expenses on a Rental Property and How to Buy a Small MultiFamily Property: A Step by Step Case Study, which have been incredibly helpful. 

Or what if some moronic narcissistic imbecile decides to blow up the planet, now that that ability has been concentrated into the small hands of so few? 

Based on current research, we plan to go into BRRRR investing starting with SFH with our first couple of deals and then to small MFH and large MFH down the road.

It's a great way for people with small amounts of money (probably 3-5K) to get involved in investing.