“I had figured out that he was reserved, and that he really wanted to do things step by step, the right way. And I loved that,” she said. They sealed the deal on date six, and on their new relationship status, with a real kiss.

As a couple, they cleared relationship milestones quickly. Within weeks, Ms. Tisdel had introduced Mr. Kearney to her mother, Pier Moore of Brooklyn, and father, Robert Tisdel of Queens. Six months in, they traveled to Virginia Beach to meet Mr. Kearney’s family. Ms. Tisdel won over her future in-laws instantly: “She’s a phenomenal charmer, and it was clear how much she cared about my son,” said Tanya Kearney, Mr. Kearney’s mother.

In spring 2015, they moved into a Queens apartment together. That fall, they bought the house in Lynbrook, but not without first making sure their financial views were in sync. “I’m the first one in my family to own a home, and Chauncey is the first one in his family,” Ms. Tisdel said. “We knew we had a lot to learn, and we decided we would go slow.”

Ms. Tisdel learned to reel in her instinct to call a professional the minute a window needed repairing or a room needed painting, something she was trained to do in her job as an executive assistant, she said. And Mr. Kearney learned that the internet can be a newbie do-it-yourselfer’s best friend. They both learned that housing bills pile up even when homeowners decide to get handy. Which is why Ms. Tisdel was surprised when Mr. Kearney proposed that Christmas.