You Can Live In the U.S. and Canada—At the Same Time

A quick glance at the headlines and it's apparent that we live in an increasingly hostile world. One in which traveling from one country to the next brings about a whole set of headaches. But what if we didn't have to go very far to venture from one nation to the next? In fact, what if we barely even had to leave home?

For one couple, that's been the case for the past four decades. Brian and Joan DuMoulin (who are dual U.S.-Canadian citizens) have lived in a 7,000-square-foot house nestled within a lot that's less than a quarter acre in total. The measurements, however, are not what make this abode so special. It's the fact that the building itself straddles the border between Beebe Plain, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec.

The home, which is now on the market for $109,000, was originally erected in 1782. For a structure to have been built during the years when America was fighting its revolutionary war (1775 to 1783), logically, the home would require a significant amount of maintenance. An estimate cited by the Associated Press put the remodeling cost at around $600,000 (roughly five and a half times the market value of the home). The interior, which is 1950s decor, is also stuck in amber, though it's not nearly as old as the structure itself. Further, the home comes with armed 24-hour security provided by both the United States of America and Canada.

Moving from one side of the home's exterior to the other was once never a real concern—that is, until the attacks of September 11. Once security became a national obsession, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents did their best to monitor the DuMoulins' home while giving them their privacy. "It's always a fine line," said Troy Rabideau, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection assistant port director, in an interview with the AP. "We do the best we can to keep an eye on it. We do what we have to do, security first, but we also want the support of the locals." According to Rabideau, the home has entrances from both the United States and Canada. Over the years, border patrol agents have come to know the people who live in the home, and have allowed them to move freely so long as they stay in the house or within the front or back yards. Ultimately, it appears that the cost of buying a home that straddles two nations is a lot more than just a dollar amount. It means being confined to your yard in a way that the rest of your community is not. The question remains, is it worth the price?