The former residence of Jeff Bezos, where he founded Amazon three decades ago, is once again on the market and attracting a large number of visitors. Despite its rich history, this property is the most affordable in the neighborhood.
This three-bedroom property, situated on a quiet street east of Seattle, is the very house where Jeff Bezos established Amazon thirty years ago and is now available for sale. Discovered by Geekwire, the 1,540-square-foot, single-family house is listed for only $2.28 million, despite the historical significance of this place, which is quite surprising. In fact, it is one of the most reasonably priced properties in the neighborhood. However, the sales team made sure that potential buyers were well aware that this was the house Bezos rented in the early nineties to start Amazon, including creating a life-sized replica of the famous blue Amazon.com sign seen behind Bezos in many photos from the company's early days.
The house, located at 10704 NE 28th St. in Bellevue, Washington, changed hands in 2019 when it was sold for $1.5 million, a significant increase from $620,000 a decade earlier. It was still surprisingly affordable back then, as the neighboring house sold for $3.1 million, while other nearby properties went for anywhere between $1.3 million and $2.6 million. Nevertheless, the value of the house has increased by over three-quarters of a million dollars over a period of five years, providing a healthy return of 52%. Despite the pandemic adversely affecting the real estate market in major cities, property prices continue to soar in Seattle, thanks to the stellar growth of Amazon and other companies operating in the area.
"Welcome to the birthplace of Amazon. Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in the humble garage of this West Bellevue house in 1994," the listing reads. Originally built in 1954, the listing notes that the home was "meticulously rebuilt in 2001 to offer modern comfort and style."
It features a spacious great room, a granite and maple kitchen, and a fully fenced backyard with a large party deck and a hot tub. However, the renovation has made it difficult to recognize the location of Bezos's office and the exact spots where he was photographed in many historic pictures. Nevertheless, the listing agents have placed a small collection of framed photos and newspaper articles next to the replica Amazon sign.
The efforts made by Sea to Sky Realty, the listing company, have certainly paid off, as it has attracted a lot of attention. Learning about the historical significance of the house, many people showed up, some to take pictures next to the Amazon sign and the work desk next to it. This leads us to wonder whether Bezos himself should buy the property and restore it to its original design.
After all, it's the same house from where Amazon grew from being a tiny e-commerce startup to one of the biggest multinational companies. Very few people believed in Bezos when he started Amazon in 1994, except for his parents and siblings, who were part of a small group of people who invested early in the company. The meteoric rise of Amazon turned them all into some of the richest people on this planet.
