Well, those will need attention after every moveout.This is where your tenant screening comes in. 

Some credit unions or local banks offer portfolio loans that don’t stick to the 4-unit limit, which could work well here.

It costs roughly $100/mo but is well worth the expense.  

So I would agree to instead get a lender that you can scale with.But it looks like you got a credit union to give you a good rate, better than most as well 

Let's of NYC investors look at other cities in NY, Rochester, Buffalo, etc... they can drive to them to see them, and they know the state well enough to feel comfortable.Most of the rust belt cities in NY offer cash flow as well. 

if you were only going to rent out a portion of the house as an STR that portion would have to be worth more than your exchange as well.

Another option is to look into some funds as well that allow smaller investments. some are anywhere from 500-$10,000 minimums and accept non accredited investors (through regulation a+).If you ran numbers of a loan paying p&i at 10% but ot being able to reinvest the principal payments you realize how low your returns actually are. so yes notes are great but also understand that idle money for any investment is not fun.

The schools in the area are really solid as well.

. #4 should come from a solid agent referral as well

If that's the case, you might as well just pay them.