East Orange multi-families

[Mike Zipf]

East Orange is the cheapest place to buy on the midtown direct train, as well as having the 2nd closest stop to NYC. The problems as I see it most buildings are pre-war SFH (3+ rooms, too few bathrooms, and old house problems). The schools are pretty darn bad, statistics wise so investing in a 3+ bedroom seems like a bad idea. There are some MFH within 10 minute walks from the Brick Church stop, and are north of 280. I've driven through the area and found the area to be not too bad, not many people walking around in the middle of the day (working class). So my question is does anyone have experience with buying in the area of East Orange north of 280? Also has anyone had any luck converting a pre-war single family into a multi-family?

I'm looking to get in the market for cash flow, appreciation is a nice plus but I don't expect it in the area (short/mid term).

According to East Orange's land use map the area around Brick Church stop is zoned a "Redevelopment Area" and the area 5-10 min walk from the station is zoned "Medium Density".