Use "price" to represent the total price of the house.
... 35400 = 12%×price . . . . problem statement: 35400 is 12% of the price
... 35400/0.12 = price . . . . convert 12% to decimal, divide by it
... 295,000 = price . . . . . . do the math
The total price of the house was $295,000.