With Valentines smack in the middle of February, thoughts of love and romance abound…grocery stores, restaurants, emails, social media…talk of love is everywhere! But what about a romance of a non traditional type? One that can fulfill you in countless ways while breaking your heart in even more? Of course I’m talking about the romance we have with houses…cabins, cottages, ranches, Victorian, mid century modern, traditional brick homes and this beauty pictured above: the A-frame or chalet style home.

I was about 5 years old when I first fell in love with a house, which was my Fisher Price A-frame. With a clear wall of glass (okay, plastic), aqua painted faux wood shingles and a large outdoor deck, I positioned my Little People around the upstairs balcony, imagining their vast views of pretend mountains from the upstairs bedroom, tucked in the rafters.

There’s something special about an A-frame house. It’s incredibly basic really, being one of the oldest designs man created for their homes. But there’s also something magically, almost cathedral-like about the feeling you have when in an A-frame house. Simple, yet elegant, light filled with a nod to the outdoors that surrounds it; nothing compares to the A-frame.

On the occasions I’ve been lucky enough to show an A-frame in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains here in Georgia, I’m reminded of that Fisher Price A-frame house and silently wish I could also move into the real thing along with my home buying clients. But would an A-frame match what I need in a “house marriage” ie an actual home purchase? Probably not…as with most crushes, it’s best to leave the A-frame on the shelf.

Here’s a bit of guidance on your affairs of the heart…or of the house…!

3 Ways To Know If A House Is A Crush Or Marriage Material

1. If you can see yourself as comfortable living in that house in 10 years as you would be today, that’s marriage material. While some hoIm buyers only marry houses for a year or two, your investment in a home is best left to grow 10 years or more. If you expect your life to look substantially different in 10 years (mobility, family size, pets, etc), making this house obsolete, best leave it in the “crush” category.
2. It’s not perfect, but you can work with it. I hated the paint colors inside and out of my current home, but it had the right number of bathrooms and an open plan walk out finished basement . Letting go of *perfect* opened me up to create a personalized, cozy home that fit our family.
3. There are no “deal breakers” in a marriage material house, meaning if you absolutely must have a large back yard for a pet or children, a stepless ranch for your mobility issues, or less than 30 minute commute to your office, this house ticks all those boxes. Know your deal breakers and don’t compromise.