[yongjik]

Re: the mortgage, this will be a problem only if you cannot maintain your salary and the housing market collapses.

Otherwise, if you buy a house, and later you decide you don't want to (or cannot) pay for mortgage, you can just sell your house and buy a smaller one (or move back to renting).

Sure, the risk isn't zero, but if you keep renting and the housing bubble keeps going on you may also burn a lot of money in the end. Nothing is risk free, and you're in a better situation than most.