Hey Achi: I live in Union City and own a few houses here. I would say that, in general, "uptown" Union City is seen as more desirable. The numbered streets run east/west and are numbered south to north (2nd St or Patterson Plank is the southernmost street/borders Jersey City, 49th is the northernmost border with West New York), John F Kennedy is the westernmost border with North Bergen, and Palisade or Park is the easternmost with Weehawken or Hoboken.
Stuff in the 30s and 40s is seen as nicer than below, and it's where most of the highrise buildings in Union City are. 30th St is where the Lincoln Tunnel is, and where all the buses go to NYC, so that's pretty desirable due to its access to New York. The further east you go/closer to Weehawken or Hoboken is also generally nicer: so right along Park Avenue in the north is very nice (borders Weehawken) near the Pathmark supermarket, or along Palisade Avenue in the south. Some houses along Palisade and Park have views of NYC which is obviously very desirable.
I also really like the area around the Monastery (18th through 21st streets between Summit and West)--it's quiet and neighborhoody, or just south on 14th or 15th (also near an old church).
There are pockets throughout the city that are nicer than others, but the only "not as nice" areas are probably in the single digits along Bergenline or West St. Bergenline is the main commercial street throughout Union City and it sort of dies around 14th St, so stuff south of there is not as great mostly because you don't have access to restaurants and the commute to NYC is longer. However, you're super close to Hoboken (can walk to an elevator which takes you to Hoboken and the light rail), and you're bordering Jersey City Heights, which has changed a huge amount in a short time and has restaurants, bars, etc.
In my mind there aren't almost any areas I'd consider "bad" (the whole city is like 1 square mile), but it's very block-by-block, so you'll get a sense when you're walking around.
As I recall a lot of areas are not bad. I would drive around with a map in hand and label the go, no go areas. You will find out where you are comfortable.
Hey Achi: I live in Union City and own a few houses here. I would say that, in general, "uptown" Union City is seen as more desirable. The numbered streets run east/west and are numbered south to north (2nd St or Patterson Plank is the southernmost street/borders Jersey City, 49th is the northernmost border with West New York), John F Kennedy is the westernmost border with North Bergen, and Palisade or Park is the easternmost with Weehawken or Hoboken.
Stuff in the 30s and 40s is seen as nicer than below, and it's where most of the highrise buildings in Union City are. 30th St is where the Lincoln Tunnel is, and where all the buses go to NYC, so that's pretty desirable due to its access to New York. The further east you go/closer to Weehawken or Hoboken is also generally nicer: so right along Park Avenue in the north is very nice (borders Weehawken) near the Pathmark supermarket, or along Palisade Avenue in the south. Some houses along Palisade and Park have views of NYC which is obviously very desirable.
I also really like the area around the Monastery (18th through 21st streets between Summit and West)--it's quiet and neighborhoody, or just south on 14th or 15th (also near an old church).
There are pockets throughout the city that are nicer than others, but the only "not as nice" areas are probably in the single digits along Bergenline or West St. Bergenline is the main commercial street throughout Union City and it sort of dies around 14th St, so stuff south of there is not as great mostly because you don't have access to restaurants and the commute to NYC is longer. However, you're super close to Hoboken (can walk to an elevator which takes you to Hoboken and the light rail), and you're bordering Jersey City Heights, which has changed a huge amount in a short time and has restaurants, bars, etc.
In my mind there aren't almost any areas I'd consider "bad" (the whole city is like 1 square mile), but it's very block-by-block, so you'll get a sense when you're walking around.
Hey @Achi Adamit yea that's a tough question. The building department is super incompetent--it used to be very corrupt but they replaced all those people with (seemingly) idiots. I've heard lots of bad stories about all manner of things having to do with the building department stopping multi-million dollar constructions for crazy things, problem with re-zoning or zoning variances, etc. Even getting permits and routine stuff approved has been a nightmare for me. So I definitely wouldn't call them super investor friendly.
Rent control is an issue if you're looking at 4+ families and/or you're not owner occupying (although the vast majority of housing stock in Union City is 3 or fewer families). For a time it was possible to reset rents by investing money to the building, but that was removed (maybe will change again)--the laws tend to change frequently.
For now there are strict controls on heights of new buildings being constructed (6 or fewer stories) and other developer-unfriendly laws like that. The reality is that the vast majority of the city is comprised of renters, so the elected officials are obviously not super incentivized to promote practices that might lead to big rent increases, even though a lot of the housing stock is in poor condition, and there are many sketchy things occurring (basements rented out, 6 people living in a 1 bedroom apartment, etc).
The mayor is nice enough to me and investors in general that I know, but I guess it depends on what your ambitions are. If you want to get a smaller property and fix it up, that's no problem, but if you want to build a highrise building or do something major, it's going to be a huge pain in the ***, and you'd likely need to know someone well-connected to make it happen.
Hello! I just bought a Condo in Union City and would love to answer any questions you have about the area. I am also interested in connecting with others who are interested in real estate here in Hudson County :)
@Yahav B. what part of UC you owned a condo? what motivate you to invest a condo over multifamily in UC? I am in UC and seeking invest property in Hudson County too.
Hi @Ivan Shao, so there are a lot of multifamilies in UC but most need renovation. Don't be turned off by how they look, though, they definitely have a lot of potential. I bought a condo because I only had a small amount of money to work with. Also, when considering Hudson County, just be aware of the high taxes in Union City (around 6.5% I think?)
@Yahav B. agree UC property tax is higher than surrounding area. I like UC coz it is much more reasonable rent and easy access to the city. I am looking for an opportunity to find a old multi families then fix & hold. Try to connect some local contractors to build a team for upcoming project.