Metlock Home Improvement Company installs replacement siding, windows, and louvered glass doors for single-family homes and condominium complexes. The company is in the process of preparing its annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2017. Jim Alcide, controller for Metlock, has gathered the following data concerning inventory. At May 31, 2017, the balance in Metlocks Raw Materials Inventory account was $416,160, and Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market had a credit balance of $26,500. Alcide summarized the relevant inventory cost and market data at May 31, 2017, in the schedule below. Alcide assigned Patricia Devereaux, an intern from a local college, the task of calculating the amount that should appear on Metlocks May 31, 2017, financial statements for inventory at lower-of-cost-or-market as applied to each item in inventory. Devereaux expressed concern over departing from the historical cost principle. Assume Garcia uses LIFO inventory costing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~cost replacment cost sales price net realiz value normal profit

Aluminum siding		$71,400		$63,750			$65,280			$57,120			$5,202
Cedar shake siding		87,720		80,988			95,880			86,496			7,548
Louvered glass doors		114,240		126,480			190,128			171,666			18,870
Thermal windows		142,800		128,520			157,896			142,800			15,708
Total		$416,160		$399,738			$509,184			$458,082			$47,328

a1) Determine the proper balance in Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market at May 31, 2017.

Balance in the Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market

(a2) For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2017, determine the amount of the gain or loss that would be recorded due to the change in Allowance to Reduce Inventory to Market.

The amount of the gain (loss)