I love your writing! The way to buy is to buy what you can afford comfortably, and yes it’s risky, but you always pay as much as you can into the principle. That way you bring down the amount. You would be surprised that mortgage payments are about the same as rent, so WTF? Also, they go down over time, then they are gone! Rent only goes up. Plus, you can rent out a room or the whole house and live somewhere cheaper. There is no better way to retire. I bought in 2004. I paid it off a while back. I just finished remodeling. You should see it:

I live in an affluent town. I run on a reservoir rim trail. Buying was the best thing I ever did. Do it! BTW, I am a restaurant server.