A buyer wants to purchase a house from a seller. Let v be the quality of this house. The quality v is known to the seller but unobservable to the buyer. The buyer thinks the chance that v=$1k is 20%, v=$10k is 40%, and v=$50k is 40%. The seller’s valuation of the house is v and the buyer’s valuation of the house is 2v a) Suppose both the buyer and the seller see the value of v . Also suppose the transaction price equals the value of v (i.e. if =10k, then the buyer pays 10k for the house). Calculate the buyer’s expected profit before seeing the value of b) Suppose only the seller sees v. Also suppose the buyer is allowed to make any offer to the seller and the seller accepts it if the offered price is above or equals to v. What is the buyer’s profit maximizing offer? What is the buyer’s maximum profit? c) Base on your answers from (a) and (b), what is the value of information (i.e. the benefits of seeing the value of ) to the buyer?

Microeconomic Theory
12th Edition
ISBN:9781337517942
Author:NICHOLSON
Publisher:NICHOLSON
Chapter7: Uncertainty
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 7.3P
icon
Related questions
Question

A buyer wants to purchase a house from a seller. Let v be the quality of this house. The quality v is known to the seller but unobservable to the buyer. The buyer thinks the chance that v=$1k is 20%, v=$10k is 40%, and v=$50k is 40%. The seller’s valuation of the house is v and the buyer’s valuation of the house is 2v

a) Suppose both the buyer and the seller see the value of v . Also suppose the transaction price equals the value of v (i.e. if =10k, then the buyer pays 10k for the house). Calculate the buyer’s expected profit before seeing the value of

b) Suppose only the seller sees v. Also suppose the buyer is allowed to make any offer to the seller and the seller accepts it if the offered price is above or equals to v. What is the buyer’s profit maximizing offer? What is the buyer’s maximum profit?

c) Base on your answers from (a) and (b), what is the value of information (i.e. the benefits of seeing the value of ) to the buyer? 

Expert Solution
trending now

Trending now

This is a popular solution!

steps

Step by step

Solved in 5 steps

Blurred answer
Knowledge Booster
Probability and Expected Value
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, economics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Similar questions
  • SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Microeconomic Theory
Microeconomic Theory
Economics
ISBN:
9781337517942
Author:
NICHOLSON
Publisher:
Cengage