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Kinda long...
We have a house, but it's university-owned (like all Greek houses here), and our dues are very manageable. Some houses--not most, but some have a system where you can work out a payment plan--but if they have it, chances are they will mention it. In some cases, being on the payment plan is limited to initated members. Most of the new member fees have to go straight to HQ before initiation, which prohibits staggering of payments.
As a VP-Finance, I can definitely tell you that I am more than willing to work things out with sisters who need payment plans, credit card payments, or whose dues are paid through on-campus jobs, as long as they come to be BEFORE the dues are due. I can't tell you how many times people tell me they can't afford to pay for dues a week after they were due, but they have the newest Kate Spade bags (which, incidentally, are about the cost of dues at my chapter!). Most treasurers and advisors are willing to work with people who are serious about paying dues on time and really need the help. I also publish a breakdown of how dues are distributed (how much goes to social, to recruitment, to HQ, etc). That usually helps out a lot, too.
It's really sad that some groups at some schools consider it tacky to ask what the financial commitment is. Not everyone has Daddy paying the dues, no questions asked. I imagine that's probably the minority at a lot of places. But, the Greek world isn't always the real world...
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