Japanese Realty Firm Opens an Office in L.A.

A giant Japanese real estate firm with substantial interests in the United States has opened a downtown Los Angeles marketing office where it will employ the “showroom” concept to sell residential and commercial property.

Just as many other firms have used the concept to market everything from automobiles to fine art directly to consumers, Haseko (California) Inc. is banking that it can draw prospective buyers to the Haseko Real Estate Showcase in the Los Angeles World Trade Center.

The firm already operates a marketing center in Honolulu. A second Los Angeles-area center will be opened in Beverly Hills in 1991, company officials said.

The center features customer service representatives, detailed marketing materials, exhibit-style photographs, audiovisual displays, conference facilities, refreshments and even a tea room. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Properties to be featured include single-family homes in planned communities throughout the state, luxury condominiums, office buildings, retail shopping centers, high-technology facilities, investment-grade real estate and joint-venture opportunities.

Among the $250 million in properties throughout the state are projects in downtown Los Angeles, Agoura Hills, Brentwood, Huntington Beach, Marin County, Rancho Palos Verdes, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica, Sunnyvale, Westwood and Westlake Village.

Haseko Corp. of Japan is a publicly traded $3-billion company that was founded 50 years ago. It is the largest multifamily home builder and one of the top three real estate investment firms in Japan.