How do you decide where?

to move to if you dont have any reason to go anywhere specific?

what i mean is myself and my partner could move anywhere in greater london (as long as not too expensive) as we rent. we are pursuing jobs in acting/performing and for that reason would like to be close to london but in the meantime we have get real and work normal jobs, but really we could get these kind of jobs anywhere (retail/office work) how do we decide where to live? other factors would obviously be, if we like the area/good facilities but there are so many places around london.

we dont know anywhere but essex (where we live now) but we hate it, the only advantage of living here is its quick into london. we like the idea of hertfordshire possibly, please can anyone help?

Hertfordshire is one of the most expensive of the Home Counties; I couldn't afford to live there and I have a good, steady job!

Essex is definitely the cheapest of the Home Counties so if cost is your main consideration, then stay where you are!

I would personally recommend Kent, still on the cheap side but a bit nicer and very sunny! :-) Same with Sussex really.

Otherwise, there are parts of London itself that are affordable such as most parts of the South East, and certain areas in the East (Stratford/Bow) and the North (Harringay/Wood Green) - only naming the decent parts, not the dodgy areas. I personally would recommend living in London itself rather than the Home Counties. Rents may be more expensive, but salaries are higher to compensate and there are more jobs available. Plus you don't have to worry about paying massive train fares to commute into London.

How did I decide where to live, having rocked up in London simply because it sounded exciting? Well, my first place was very much a guess and I ended up in Bromley-by-Bow (East London). I then moved to North London as I had a lot of friends there at the time, but after working in London Bridge for a long time and getting sick of the commute, I moved down to Surrey Quays in South East London. Which is where I live now! I would move to Kent myself, except that I need to travel to Reading one day per week for work which would be awful from Kent, so I'm stuck in London for now. I wouldn't move to Reading or the surrounding areas because I don't like the place, and I don't really have many friends there. So there you go!