Sandra, a New Jersey resident, sells her home in Teaneck for $999,000. Her buyer, Kevin, tells his agent that he is relieved to be just under the $1,000,000 mansion tax threshold. Sandra's agent, however, notices that the contract also includes $15,000 worth of furniture and personal property that Kevin is purchasing separately in a side agreement. Which statement BEST describes the mansion tax risk in this transaction?
Correct Answer
C) If the total consideration for the transaction — including personal property — is deemed to be $1,014,000, the mansion tax of 1% could apply to the entire amount, triggering a $10,140 obligation for Kevin
This is an expert-level trap scenario. The New Jersey mansion tax is based on the total 'consideration' paid for the property. When parties structure a transaction to artificially keep the real estate contract price below $1,000,000 while simultaneously executing a separate side agreement for personal property, New Jersey tax authorities may aggregate the total consideration paid. If the combined total is $1,014,000 ($999,000 + $15,000), the mansion tax of 1% could apply to the entire $1,014,000 — not just the excess over $1,000,000 — resulting in a $10,140 obligation for Kevin. This practice of artificially splitting consideration is a known audit risk under the RTF Act.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Deep Analysis of This Financing Question
Background Knowledge for Financing
Real World Application in Financing
Common Mistakes to Avoid on Financing Questions
Related Topics & Key Terms
Key Terms:
Related Concepts
A comparison of the major mortgage loan types—conventional, FHA, VA, and USDA—covering their eligibility requirements, down payment amounts, mortgage insurance rules, and best use cases.
Predatory lending refers to unfair, deceptive, or abusive lending practices that impose unjustified terms on borrowers, often targeting vulnerable populations. It includes practices like excessive fees, inflated appraisals, and unnecessary refinancing.
RESPA is a federal law that requires lenders to provide borrowers with information about settlement costs, prohibits kickbacks and referral fees, and limits escrow account deposits. It applies to federally related mortgage loans.
More Financing Questions
Which Hawaii rule controls when a lender intends to use power of sale foreclosure on residential property?
A Hawaii licensee is reviewing a candidate asks whether a Hawaii mortgage passes title to the mortgagee. What is the best answer?
Wisconsin recording fees are paid to the:
An appraisal of a Wisconsin dairy farm would most likely use:
Property tax prorations at a Wisconsin closing are typically calculated:
- → The FHA loan program in Wisconsin allows buyers to purchase with as little as:
- → Wisconsin's WHEDA (Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority) assists homebuyers by:
- → Wisconsin foreclosures are:
- → Wisconsin uses which theory of mortgage law?
- → In Utah, what is the standard non-judicial foreclosure process under a deed of trust?
- → After a non-judicial foreclosure sale in Utah, does the borrower have a statutory right of redemption?
- → A Utah lender requires private mortgage insurance (PMI) on a conventional loan. Under what condition can the borrower request PMI cancellation under the federal Homeowners Protection Act?
- → Utah is classified as which type of state regarding the security instrument used for most residential mortgage loans?
- → Under Utah law, which of the following liens generally has the HIGHEST priority?
- → A Utah property has both a first mortgage and a second mortgage. If the first mortgage is foreclosed, what happens to the second mortgage?
People Also Study
Buyer Representation Agreement
8% of exam
Property Ownership
10% of exam
Land Use Controls and Regulations
8% of exam
Valuation and Market Analysis
10% of exam
Related Articles
Real Estate Exam Practice Questions by Topic (2026): Free Sets for Contracts, Agency, Financing
Get topic-based real estate exam practice sets and a simple sequence to move from learning to timed mocks.
Real Estate Exam Topics (2026): High-Yield Areas + Common Traps (Contracts, Agency, Financing, Fair Housing)
Learn the highest-frequency real estate exam topics and the traps that cause most wrong answers—plus how to study them.
Real Estate Exam Financing: Mortgages, APR, Amortization (2026) + 20 Practice Problems
Learn mortgages, APR, amortization, and the financing questions most likely to appear—plus practice problems.