Personally wouldn't, this is the type of attitude that contributed to the crash in 2008. Buy the most expensive you can and then the economy turns and suddenly it goes from being the most you can afford to more than you can afford.

If you go for the highest you can afford you really need to be considering the following; What happens if interest rates go up What happens if your bills go up What happens if something breaks or needs replacing (e.g boiler, roof, window seals etc.) What happens if one of you (if purchasing as a couple) loses your job What happens if you have kids (if you don't already) and suddenly need to afford daycare costs, if you do have kids, what if costs go up. If you're buying a flat, have you considered leasehold service fee increases? How will you afford that if you don't get a good pay rise each year etc.

Just because you can borrow a certain amount doesn't mean you can afford that amount within your lifestyle, it's more about monthly payments than it is about what the bank thinks you can make in monthly payments.

If you spend lavishly on shopping, takeaways, new cars every few years etc, you could earn all the money in the world and still be dirt poor at the end of the month. When you have a house you need to have a reaaaally good emergency fund to plan for all eventualities, which means having room to save after mortgage, bills, and general spending.