Buying a house with your spouse can be thrilling and stressful all at once. There are always fun decisions to make like style and location; there are also more practical decisions like house size, finances, and other factors.

Communicating with your spouse about the particulars of homeownership is crucial for success. Make sure you bring up these questions before you start looking for your dream home.

1. Do you have debt?

It might surprise you to hear that a lot of couples don't discuss debt or finances before getting married. This is a massive mistake. A bad credit score or significant debt can make buying a home incredibly difficult. Home lenders will heavily consider your debt-income ratio when considering you for a home loan. Lenders consider your DTI ratio in order to gauge your financial responsibility. Customers with a lot of debt are more likely to miss payments more often.

A higher DTI will mean a higher interest rate on your home. A DTI that exceeds 34% usually won't be accepted at all.

2. How much can we afford?

You need to decide ahead of time how much you can afford. It needs to be a hard, specific number that both of you have agreed on and know to be viable as a long-term plan. As a general rule, you don't want to sit at the high end of your budget. It's far better to choose a home that isn't ideal but can be improved over time and be sold for a profit. The peace of mind that comes with not stressing about a mortgage payment every month is worth making a few sacrifices.

3. Where is our ideal location?

Before you make a decision about specific towns or cities, consider discussing the setting of your ideal home. Is it on the water? In the country? A townhouse? Answering these questions will help you decide an ideal city to settle in based on what's available in that locale. In addition, you should be committed to living in a particular place long enough for you to be able to make a profit on your home or at least break even. Discuss what aspects of a town or neighborhood are most important to you.

5. Are we willing to remodel?

Remodeling is made to look fun on HGTV, and it can have its moments. The reality is that most couples end up fighting and stressing about remodels; they can bring a significant amount of stress to your relationship. If you've thought about it and are really committed to everything that remodeling entails, go for it. However, if you've got the budget and don't have a super-specific vision of your home in mind, consider buying a turnkey property -- which often comes with far less stress.