What problems did Jurgis and Ona have buying a house?

Jurgis makes the bold suggestion that they look into buying a home instead of renting a flat. Although the price is high for such a poor family, “they were in America, where people talked about such without fear.” Ona gives them the details of the house, which has four rooms. Unfortunately the houses are poorly built and the payment terms are not clear. The families are basically swindled out of more money than they have for poorly built houses.