Over the past several years it has seem there have been more and more options.

Your suggestion to list on open market likely is the best option for the OP.  

Berkadia is #1 Freddie Mac Optigo, #3 Fannie Mae DUS, and #3 HUD/FHA multifamily lender in the country as of YE 2022, and my team originated ~$325,000,000 in agency loan volume last year.Lately I’ve noticed many of you asking about multifamily financing options, and thought this would be an opportunity to host an AMA regarding Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae agency multifamily financing, an area in which I specialize.

I would check and see how many 1 bed and 2 bed options there are and what they are priced at because most folks will prefer the full place to themselves so rooming 2 people together could make getting bookings a bit more difficult (not always the case but something to consider)

It would be our preference to invest in upstate NY because we could drive there relatively easily, but if there are better deals elsewhere, we would be more inclined to go with option (1).

Have you explored any of these options yet?

Virtually staging it could be a good inexpensive option. 

If you ever need insights on financing options for rental properties, including DSCR loans to scale your portfolio, I’d be happy to help.

My goal is reviewing retirement options. 

Being a NYC resident (originally from Long Island), the price of entry in the area is on the higher end, so I've been considering some options in the NY Capitol region, as well as NJ and CT.