There are single parents who join forces and buy together, brothers and sisters who buy and share houses, and former college roommates who take the plunge and sign for mortgages not long after graduating and starting their first jobs. Each of these new homeowners has been imaginative enough to see beyond the traditional, to say, “Why not?” and begin carving out his own interpretation of home owning.

Michelle and Don are both single and work for nonprofit agencies in a midsize city. They were in their late twenties a few years ago when they purchased a three-story row house in a revival neighborhood of their city. They were not involved romantically; they were merely work buddies.

She loved her community and wanted the privacy of a house over that of a condominium, but she was not handy and was more than a little over-whelmed at the thought of rattling around in so many rooms. She could afford a down payment and the monthly mortgage.

Don presented the flip side of that situation. He could not come up with a down payment, but he certainly knew his way around a toolbox. He had a reasonably well-paying job and could carry a monthly mortgage payment.

The two joined together to buy, with Michelle making the full down payment and Don repaying her gradually by handling much of the renovation work that was needed. The two put a dollar value on Don's rehabbing. All of this was spelled out in a written contract.

Michelle took the top floor, which they converted into a full apartment; Don chose the floor just below that. The ground floor, which was half below and half above the ground, was converted to another apartment. They rented that unit, depositing the rental money into a joint checking account to pay for other renovations.

Michelle and Don consulted a lawyer to work out all of the details of their arrangement. And it works. If one of them decides to sell — either to the other or to an agreed-upon outsider — that new half owner will continue the smooth working relationship.