Kristina Knighten and her husband, Paul Cordier, were living in the United Arab Emirates and working as TEFL-certified teachers when they decided they were serious about buying their first home in America. Knighten, 38, was raised in the Chicago suburbs, and Cordier, 45, was raised in London but loved the idea of living in the Windy City after having visited with Knighten over the course of their relationship and two-year marriage.

"We knew we didn't necessarily want to move back straight away but more as a long-term investment and we could maybe retire there," Knighten tells CNBC Make It. The couple lived in the UAE and had just under $40,000 saved.