I’m trying to find areas that have a decent entry point for a rookie investor in Northern Jersey. Does anyone have any advice?

I currently live in NY and work in Manhattan so I was considering Essex County (East Orange, Orange, or Upper Irvington) for the low cost of entry. I’m not scared of the “rough neighborhoods” and these areas were listed as opportunity zones so I was extremely interested. But I’m definitely open to anything that’s within 2 hours of travel distance to the city, anything to get that cash flow!