Tie the cabinets together with some glass tile using a bright white grout.  

You might get different answers to the real estate agent question, but my opinion and experience shows that as an investor, you shouldn't necessarily tie yourself just to one agent.  

If I were in your shoes I'd pick a Roth all day long as it's tax free when you cash out.

Investors have the same risks of wasting time/tying up funding(even if it is just a down-payment).  

How much cash do you have tied in it and would that cash make you more money in another property even if you make less on this one?  

@Kevin Wood, I've heard people talk about their philosophy of just "tying up" the property with an LOI, then worry about negotiating down later. 

@Pedro OlivaIt's depends on how it's structured, generally it is a note with some interest tied to a 30 year amortization schedule, with some kind of a balloon to be paid off or refinanced in 5 to 10 yearsI've seen simple interest, compound interest, interest only payments, interest paid every six months, etc.Look up imputed interest on www.irs.gov website, which means lowest possible interest that the IRS will allow

I too am in your same shoes.  

Not in your shoes @Ha Dang.

Back to your question though, most beach properties are desirable, but you're going to need better insurance - hurricane season is almost here - and you're going to have to pay more for the property itself.When you're looking at multi-family properties, you should be able to find some with at least partial seller financing, so you won't have to tie up as much of your credit and won't have to buy a property all for cash.