Rent vs. Buy

I have often thought about buying a house but at the same time I wonder if it is the right thing to do. With the current housing market and my personal life, sometimes it doesn't seem like the best thing to do. A mortgage seems like a scary thing to me, I mean really it is just another bill and I often wonder if it would cost us more money to buy than rent. We would have to decide if we wanted a Fixed Rate Mortgages or adjustable. There are property taxes, homeowners insurance, home repairs and who knows what else. Right now I pay a set amount each and every month plus my utilities. I would think a fixed rate is better than an adjustable, I mean it would be the amount every month, right?

I really think the ups and downs of the housing market scare me the most and at the same time I don't know whether the building I live in now is paid for. Does my landlord still have a mortgage and if he does what type does he have, one of those Fixed Rate Mortgages
or something else? Could I still be at risk? Any thoughts are welcome!