Some may say Avi and Sheri Azoulay’s success story is Regal American Homes becoming one of Arizona’s most respected luxury builders, known for constructing some of the most private and highly valued residences in Paradise Valley and beyond.
Others, however, would say the real success is that they do it together.
Husband and wife. Business partners. Parents. Teammates.
In an industry defined by pressure and high stakes, Avi and Sheri have built a company side by side while protecting something even harder to sustain: their marriage, their family, and a shared life.
“We love each other, so it’s easy. We have shared purpose and respect and always have each other's backs,” says Sheri.
“Working together feels natural. We take every day the way it comes,” adds Avi.
It began with a blind date.
Avi Azoulay had moved to Arizona from Israel chasing opportunity, not certainty. Sheri was immersed in a demanding career and thinking very little about slowing down. Neither expected the night to matter beyond a drink.
They met at Olive & Ivy.
What Sheri thought would be a quick stop stretched longer than planned. Conversation came easily. The energy surprised them both.
“It was love at second date,” Sheri says.
The pace that followed reflected how they would eventually do everything else.
They married within a year. Kids followed soon after.
“When I commit, I commit. There’s no halfway,” says Avi.
From the beginning, they built their life the same way they would later build their company, with commitment and clarity.
“Working together actually brings us closer. If we didn’t work together, we probably wouldn’t even see each other as much,” says Sheri.
“We rarely fight,” says Avi. “And when something goes wrong, we talk about it and move on. If you don’t talk about things and resolve them, it backfires. When you have a good relationship built on friendship, it’s easier to get through anything.”
That philosophy would quietly become the foundation of Regal American Homes.
When Avi arrived in Arizona in 2009, the market was in free fall. The recession had stripped opportunity down to its barest form. He spoke limited English. He had no local network. What he did have was an instinctive understanding of construction shaped long before Arizona entered the picture.
“I’ve always learned by doing,” Avi says.
In Israel, he had grown up on job sites, learning trades hands-on, absorbing how buildings come together and how they fail. So in Arizona, he started where he could.
He flipped homes purchased at auction for $40,000, then $100,000. He worked with his hands. He designed homes himself, selected materials himself, and made decisions that would later define his reputation.
“I had to survive first. Big dreams come after survival,” he says.
By 2014, Regal American Homes launched. By 2015, Avi was building in Paradise Valley. By 2019, Regal had become a fully custom builder working exclusively with private clients. Today, their business operates in a rare tier of the Arizona market with projects surpassing $30 and $40 million and often never appearing publicly.
As homes grow more private and personal, requests move beyond traditional luxury. Regal gets some wild requests: underground tunnels, hidden rooms, interior slides, custom wellness spaces, and even a fully engineered residential shark tank.
“People aren’t just building houses anymore. They’re building lifestyles,” he says.
Over the past decade, Avi and Sheri have watched Arizona’s luxury market change dramatically. Clients want longevity, privacy and spaces that support family life, health, and retreat. That’s where Regal’s expertise lives.
When Avi began building in Paradise Valley in early 2015, he says premier lots traded for roughly $900,000 to $1.2 million, with construction costs averaging around $300 per square foot.
Today, the equation is different. Prime lots now command $3 million to $5 million, construction costs have climbed to $800 to $1,100 per square foot, and entry-level luxury begins closer to $10 million.
“A home Regal sold as a spec for under $6 million a decade ago would now be valued near $18 million, without changing a single detail,” he says.
That rapid rise didn’t just reshape the market. It reshaped their lives.
Before Regal reached its current heights, the company was still scaling, and during that time Sheri was working her previous career, traveling extensively and closing international deals. It was Avi who saw the shift before she did.
“I saw her potential immediately. I knew she could help me tremendously in the business.”
“He told me to quit my job,” Sheri recalls. “He said I would make more in my first year working with him than I ever had.”
And she did.
“I didn’t come in thinking I knew anything. I came in ready to embrace everything,” says Sheri.
Sheri ran remodels, oversaw purchasing, and managed complex timelines, quickly mastering construction systems, budgets, and high-pressure decision making. In her first year alone, while pregnant, she flipped eighteen homes. She also earned both her general contractor’s license and her real estate license building the foundation for what would become a formidable career.
“Sometimes the student surpasses the teacher. She’s one of those people,” Avi says.
When Sheri formally joined Regal as partner, the company changed in a way clients felt immediately. Avi focused on structure, construction, and execution. Sheri anchored operations, client experience, and relationships.
“We’re not sitting next to each other all day,” says Sheri. “We have our own roles.”
“If it’s about relationships, I go with her advice. If it’s construction, that’s my lane,” Avi adds.
In April 2020, Regal American Homes found itself on a national stage when a photo of Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury inside his Paradise Valley home, captioned “War Room 2.0,” went viral during the NFL’s virtual draft.
But most people don’t know the backstory.
Regal American Homes spent two years constructing the residence, designed by Israeli architect Ilan Pivko, who had mentored Avi years earlier in Israel.
“That moment was full circle,” Avi says.
It was the only United States based home Ilan Pivko ever designed, created alongside the builder he once taught.
As Regal’s reputation grew, so did the profile of its clients. Many of Regal’s most significant projects will never be public. Privacy is non negotiable.
“What people see is what they get,” says Sheri. “We’re honest, reliable, and we show up for people.”
Beyond business, their lives are deeply rooted in family. Four children. Full calendars. Open doors. Avi coaches second grade basketball, while Sheri keeps a home that’s always welcoming.
That closeness carries into everything they do.
“If we can build for our neighbor and still be friends afterward,” Avi says, “we can build for anyone.”
They might be building multi million dollar homes, but the real success story isn’t measured in square footage or price per foot. It’s measured in partnership and parenting.
“I want my kids to see what commitment looks like,” Avi says.
Sixteen years ago, Avi arrived in Arizona with a dictionary and a dream. Sheri never imagined her life would include building multimillion-dollar homes alongside her husband.
Today, Regal American Homes stands tall, not because of flash, but because of foundation.
regalamericanhomes.com
“If it’s about relationships, I go with her advice. If it’s construction, that’s my lane." -Avi Azoulay