Alamar and Shea Homes present keys to new residents just two months after Oct. 10 grand opening
Alamar, the largest master-planned community to open in the Valley since Eastmark in 2013, welcomed its first residents just two months after the community opened on October 10, in Avondale, Arizona.
Diane DiCarlo and her husband Mike Frickstad received their keys on Friday, Dec. 11, from Shea Homes, the Alamar homebuilder of the couple’s new single-story home. In addition to greeting the couple with a festive celebration, Alamar and Shea representatives presented Diane and Mike with a Tiffany Silver Bowl and gift basket filled with items to help them settle into their new home.
The former Colorado residents are excited to live in a warmer climate and a community that’s centered around healthy, outdoor living; one that celebrates the natural beauty of the neighboring Sierra Estrella Mountains with dozens of trails, vast amounts of open space, and more than 30 half-acre neighborhood parks with playgrounds, picnic tables, and shaded ramadas. Among their first goals—besides visiting their five grandchildren who now live just 20 minutes away—is to play a round of golf at one of the more than 200 golf courses in and around the Phoenix metropolitan area.
“I was raised in a small town, and this is a big change, but we’re excited about it,” Mike said. “Driving through the streets, it still feels like a small town but there are so many more possibilities—it’s a new adventure for us.”
Both Diane and Mike are published authors who first met each other in a library years ago. According to the couple, one of the many reasons they chose this specific Avondale location is its close proximity to Avondale Public Library, where Mike plans to spend much of his time finishing his new novel, Chill Level Five. Mike is an award-winning author of several books, including The Storyteller, Finding Phil and The Dream Rescuer. Meanwhile, Diane has authored her own book as well, titled And God Shows Up: Seeing the Celestial in the Everyday World, a nonfiction work that reflects on her life experiences while providing inspiring life lessons.
Diane and Mike are among the droves of people moving to Arizona from all across the U.S. In fact, Arizona is among the fastest growing states in the country, with the Valley’s housing market expected to remain one of the nation’s top markets in 2021, according to Realtor.com. Avondale, in particular, has become the hottest submarket in the metro area, according to the latest index developed by Cromford Report. The region’s pent-up demand, combined with the surge of enthusiasm for Alamar, led to a successful grand opening event—one that could serve as a model for future grand openings in a post-pandemic world.
To date, Alamar has sold over 125 of the 461 homes available within the first phase of development, which features six unique neighborhoods built by six Alamar builders, including Shea Homes, Gehan Homes, David Weekley, Taylor Morrison, Capital West and Landsea. The next phase is expected to open in late 2021. Once all phases are complete, Alamar will feature a total 3,695 homes across 1,127-acres.
