Young professionals ponder home prices, city life and all that

For young Chinese professionals from all parts of China working and living in Beijing, high home prices create twin anxieties: big loans that may take a lifetime to pay off; and the fear of property price falls.

I was born in Beijing and live with my family, which means I don't feel the "stressful" housing problem that some of friends who have come from other places constantly discuss.

"It's fairly stressful to live in Beijing. The major reason is that every month more than 17,000 yuan ($2,473) goes toward mortgage repayment, straining my family's finances," said Gloria Yang, 29, a friend who hails from Central China's Hubei province.