When retirees Bruce and Rosemary Kidd moved to Ridgeway, Ont., on the north shore of Lake Erie, one of their first desires was to add a double car garage to the property. The cost almost gagged them.

Former Illinois residents Jason and Jennifer Remillard dreamed of living a simple, debt-free life. The couple purchased a $50,000, 58-acre property in Maine in 2019 near the Canadian border. They ...