Garland Realtor Patrick Abell spent the day Tuesday checking on some local listings, dragging cars out of ditches, delivering groceries, and picking up prescriptions for the homebound.
Then he followed a Dallas Area Rapid Transit supervisor home from Mesquite to Coppell to make sure he got there safely.
On Wednesday, with plans to do it all over again, Abell paused briefly while his Jeep Wrangler was warming up to chat with daltxrealestate.com.
Patrick Abell to The Rescue
Abell is a Top Producer with United Real Estate. He grew up in Hunt County and has been selling homes in the Dallas area for seven years. He came up in the business with a motto of “sales through service.”
For years, Abell has helped North Texas residents recover from tornadoes and severe storms. Sometimes he travels with a team of up to 20 people, carrying a trailer, a generator, and a chainsaw.
So when the Thundersleet event hit the Dallas area earlier this week, Abell loaded up and took to the streets.
“This is just what I do,” he said. “The Jeep gives me the opportunity to have WiFi for everybody, so they can make phone calls or whatever.”
People reach out to him through social media or mutual friends.
“A person just messaged me and said she’s stuck in a ditch,” he said Wednesday afternoon. “She asked if I could come help her. It’s going to take six hours for a tow truck.”
So off he went.
Abell stopped by his mother’s house earlier this week to check for frozen pipes and stepped into a couple of his friends’ listings to make sure they hadn’t been affected by the weather. He took a nurse and a chef for an assisted living center to work Wednesday morning and planned to go back in the evening to give them rides home.
The Realtor had plans Thursday morning to take a cancer patient to a 7 a.m. appointment.
“Why not?” he said. “I feel safe. I’ve got four-wheel drive and diesel. I take it slow and watch for people around me. I’ve seen a lot of accidents, but there are not a lot of people out. They’re pretty much minding their business and staying home.”
‘Real Estate Allows Me To Do It’
Abell isn’t affiliated with a particular church or nonprofit group, but he does work with Dusty’s Lines of Love, which organizes an annual fishing trip for terminally ill children. The group was founded in honor of Abell’s friend who lost a child to cancer.
As for helping people, Abell said that’s just what he does.
“I don’t do it because I’m a real estate agent,” he said. “Being a real estate agent allows me to do it. It gives me the freedom. At this point, it’s really just about helping people. We’re all here together, so we might as well make the best of it.”
The Realtor exudes humility and is just happy to be of service. When he’s not helping people, he’s studying to get his broker’s license.
“Why do you do this?” we asked Abell, more than once.
His answer was simple and consistent.
“Why not?” he said. “To leave the rock a better place.”
