San Diego County - News from Aug. 22, 1994

Housing Export Accord to Be Signed: An agreement that will be signed Tuesday in San Diego by Texas, U.S. and Japanese trade officials as well as home builders and suppliers, may speed up the export of finished houses to Japan. Because housing in Japan costs 50% more than comparable U.S. units, demand for imported houses is increasing. But non-tariff barriers have kept U.S. manufacturers out of the Japanese market. Japanese company A-Peras will sign agreements with 17 Texas-based home builders and suppliers, including Ryland Building Systems, to try to break the barriers with help from both governments. If all goes well, A-Peras will offer U.S.-made houses to Japanese consumers at 28% to 44% below current prices, all with “favorable effects on Japan-U.S. relations,” the company said.