Suppose That There Are Two Types of Houses for Sale

question 117

Multiple Choice

Suppose that there are two types of houses for sale: those with solid foundations and those with cracked foundations. In all other respects, the two types of houses are identical. Houses with solid foundations are worth $200,000, while those with cracked foundations are worth $200,000 minus the $20,000 to fix the crack, or $180,000. Sellers know which type of house they have, but buyers cannot detect whether the foundation has a crack. Suppose that 80 percent of the houses for sale have a solid foundation and 20 percent of the houses for sale have a cracked foundation. If buyers are risk-neutral and know the that 80 percent of the houses for sale have a solid foundation while 20 percent have a cracked foundation, then the owners of houses with a solid foundation will find that:

• A)potential buyers are offering more than $200,000.
• B)potential buyers are offering $200,000.
• C)potential buyers are offering $180,000.
• D)it is not worthwhile to sell their houses.

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Definitions:

Variable Costing

An accounting method that considers only variable costs for product costing, excluding fixed manufacturing overhead.

Unit Product Cost

The total cost to produce one unit of a product, including direct materials, direct labor, and allocated overheads.

Net Operating Income

An indicator of a company's profitability calculated by subtracting operating expenses from operating revenues, excluding taxes and interest.

Common Fixed Expenses

Overhead costs that do not fluctuate with the level of production or sales, such as rent, salaries of administrative staff, and insurance.