After planning a wedding, buying a house is often the next big project a new couple tackles together. And it can be even more contentious than selecting flower arrangements and cake flavors for your big day. Buying a house is a big, long-term financial commitment, and you both are likely to have strong ideas about what’s important to look for in a home.

So we were actually impressed that only 28 percent of respondents to a recent TheNest.com survey said that they argued with their partner during their house hunt. Most said their disagreements were no big deal. But there was a unfortunate two percent that said their arguments “got heated at times.” And while that is still a tiny percentage, that’s not how you want to start your home ownership journey.

So we asked editor Kristine Solomon at TheNest.com for her advice on how to keep your cool as a …

In the year since we closed on our first home, my husband Matt and I have had a lot of time to reflect on our home-buying journey. We went to countless open houses, saw numerous homes that weren’t right and had our hearts broken when an offer on a wonderful house fell through. Eventually, we purchased the perfect home just three days before our wedding. We learned a few things along the way, and I hope these tips will help you on your house hunt.

1.     Make sure you’re ready to buy. About ten months before our wedding, Matt and I started thinking about buying a house. We did research, talked to a real estate agent we trusted, and decided we were ready to buy for a number of reasons. It’s a big purchase, so take the time to be sure it’s the right time for you.

2.     Work with experts …

We moved into our house the day we closed, which happened to be just three days before our wedding. Life was chaotic, but after packing and moving and more or less settling in quickly, we learned a couple of important things about moving into a new house. First, it’s important to find ways to stay as sane as possible. And secondly, there are lots of ways to save money!

Every situation is unique, but a few things really worked well for us. Since we had two huge overlapping life events, we planned ahead. We tried to get as much done for the wedding as we could before moving in. And we packed in advance, too. When we left the closing, we knew the moving truck was already packed up and ready to go. That kept us fairly calm even amidst so much craziness. A few hectic days of packing were worth …