The real estate maven expects few big policy shifts from a centrist Biden Administration. : Sam Zell is one of the legendary investors of his generation, known for his love of dealmaking, gold chains, and telling it like it is. The title of his 2017 autobiography borrows his favorite phrase: “Am I Being Too Subtle?” Real estate has long been Zell’s dominion, and he scored a giant win in 2007 with the sale of the REIT he built, Equity Office Properties, for $39 billion, at the top of the market.