Builders in the U.S. have looked over
their shoulders for several years, wondering
if the threat of a foreign housing invasion
was rumor or reality. Would homes
start streaming into East and West Coast
ports like so many Volvos and Hondas?
Would innovations abroad and changing
world economics take work away from
small and medium-sized builders at
home?
Experience to date has proven otherwise.
Foreign investment in building is
increasing rapidly, bringing a welcome
infusion of capital to the construction
industry. But foreign housing manufacturers
remain reluctant to set up U.S.-
based factories.
A few early attempts that went sour
taught foreign manufacturers that differences
in land prices, buyers' preferences,
and building codes can pose a
formidable barrier to housing exports.
To