Why does my deed say "ten dollars" and not the full purchase price?

Why does my deed say "ten dollars" and not the full purchase price?

A deed often includes the phrase "for ten dollars and other good and valuable consideration" as a standard or boilerplate clause in the document. This language is typically included to indicate that some form of consideration (payment or exchange) has been given for the property, even if the stated amount is minimal. It serves several purposes:

In Kansas and Missouri, for a deed to be legally valid and enforceable, there must be some form of consideration exchanged between the parties involved. This is often referred to as "valuable consideration" and is required to make the contract binding.

With that that being said, most people don't want the whole world to know exactly what was paid for the property.  Therefore, a lawyer many years ago came up with the idea to start writing either one dollar or ten dollars "and other good and valuable consideration."  This means that the property was purchased for some amount over ten dollars, which meets the legal requirement  without providing the actual amount for anyone viewing the deed to know.  

In summary, the phrase "for ten dollars and other good and valuable consideration" is a legal formality meant to satisfy legal requirements, while allowing flexibility and privacy regarding the actual purchase price.

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