A ‘Prime’ Listing: The House Where Amazon Was Born

By: Melissa Dittmann Tracey

The home in Bellevue, Wash., where Jeff Bezos started Amazon out of the garage is under contract thanks to the listing agents’ smart, throwback marketing.

The blank-slate garage(link is external) in the remodeled three-bedroom, two-bathroom house features a replica of the famous 1990s-era handwritten company logo Bezos once used. It was an idea that listing agents Lin Shen and Mina Zhang of Sea to Sky Realty hoped would generate buyer interest in the home Bezos reportedly once rented for $890 a month. Bezos had set up a home office in the garage as the first official Amazon headquarters. Today, Amazon is one of the most well-known brands in the e-commerce industry.

Aside from the life-sized replica of the blue “Amazon.com” sign, the listing agents also memorialized the home by featuring historical photos of Bezos, along with framed photos and newspaper articles that highlight Amazon’s roots and its impending success.

The 1,540-square-foot home, originally built in 1954, was rebuilt and modernized in 2001. Bezos himself likely wouldn’t recognize it compared with when he lived there. But despite the upgraded finishes and features, the garage remains a modest omen of historical significance. Amazon, now a trillion-dollar company, hasn’t forgotten its humble upbringings either. The company recently recreated the garage where it was born(link is external). “While our operations and inventory look quite different now, we didn’t want to forget our roots,” the company says. The replica of the garage includes a simple wooden desk outfitted with a bulky, 1990s-era computer and sprinkled with office supplies. The blue, handwritten “Amazon.com” sign hangs in the background.

Bezos also has spoken frequently about the first Amazon office in his garage. In the fall, he shared this recent post of it on Instagram, offering an inside look.

Priced at $2.28 million, the home hit the market in mid-January, attracting dozens of people—mostly tourists—who were curious and eager to snap a picture of the garage display, the agents say. “The Amazon connection and history is definitely a reason to get buyers interested initially,” Shen says. “But in my opinion, the ultimate cause for the real buyer is rather its location, redevelopment potential, and Bellevue’s downtown real estate outlook.”

As for Bezos, he’s moved on to bigger and better properties over the last 30 years and has been showing his love for real estate. He reportedly holds more than $500 million worth of property, recently purchasing two multimillion-dollar estates in Miami, where he has relocated, Architectural Digest reports(link is external). In 2021, he made the most expensive home purchase in the U.S.: a $78 million, 14-acre property in Maui, Hawaii. Bezos also owns homes in California, the District of Columbia, New York, Texas, and Washington.

See inside Bezos’ original abode, albeit a much more updated version of the Bellevue home he once called home.