7 Jeff Bezos Principles That Will Make You a Better Real Estate Investor
I like garages, too.
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Say what you want about the Jeff Bezos, but he built a $2.3 trillion company from his garage.
And as a guy who loves a garage (*cough, luxury storage, cough*), I couldn’t help but think about how Bezos’ principles aren’t just for tech companies. They work surprisingly well for real estate investing too.
Here's how you can apply 7 of Bezos's core principles to your own real estate business:
1. Stay in "Day 1" Mode
Bezos wrote a famous letter about staying in "Day 1" mode vs. falling into "Day 2." Day 1 companies are hungry and scrappy. Day 2 companies get comfortable and stop growing.
In real estate terms:
Never stop looking for new deals and opportunities.
Keep learning new financing strategies.
Stay creative with deal structures.
Test new markets and asset types.
I started in concrete, moved to construction, then development. Now, a lot of my focus is on the emerging luxury storage asset class. If I'd gotten comfortable with MAK Construction, MAK Capital wouldn't exist today.
2. Obsess Over Your Tenants
Amazon is notorious for its customer obsession. Bezos made every executive spend time in customer service.
For real estate investors:
Be responsive and communicate clearly.
Build systems to track and improve tenant satisfaction.
Know what your tenants actually want, not what you think they want.
Happy tenants = stickier leases = more stable income.
3. Think Long-Term
Bezos famously told shareholders that Amazon would prioritize long-term value over short-term profits. People thought he was crazy. Now Amazon dominates… Everything.
In real estate:
Focus on growing equity, not just quick profits.
Invest in property improvements that pay off over time.
Find emerging asset classes with long-term potential.
Build relationships with investors — don’t just treat them as transactions.
4. Make High-Quality Decisions Fast
Bezos talks about making high-quality decisions quickly with about 70% of the information. Waiting for 90% means moving too slow.
Real estate application:
Have clear criteria for what makes a good investment.
Be ready to move fast when opportunities arise.
Don't let analysis paralysis kill good deals.
5. Invent and Simplify
Amazon constantly invents new solutions and simplifies existing processes. They're never satisfied with "good enough."
For real estate investors:
Become an expert at creative deal structuring.
Question traditional ways of doing things.
Simplify your systems and processes.
This is why I love seller financing — it's a creative solution that works even in tough markets.
6. Embrace Risk
Bezos points out that even large failures are survivable. The only real failure is not trying.
In real estate:
Test different marketing strategies.
Learn from deals that don't work out.
Take calculated risks on emerging markets.
Try new property types (like luxury storage!)
7. High Standards Are Contagious
Bezos believes high standards spread through an organization. If you’ll forgive my cliche… One person raising the bar makes everyone better.
For real estate:
Build a reputation for quality.
Lead by example in your market.
Set high standards for property maintenance.
Expect excellence from contractors and property managers.
When my construction company takes on a project, we do it right. That reputation has opened doors for bigger development deals.
Here's the thing about these principles — they're not revolutionary. But applying them consistently separates good investors from great ones.
I'm not saying copy everything Bezos does. But it’s silly to pretend like we can’t learn something from him.
After all, every real estate empire starts somewhere too. Mine started with a $300 fan installation.
P.S. If you found this valuable, share it with another real estate investor who needs to hear it.