To say my family was in a real pinch undersells the dire circumstances we were facing. Our rental sold out from under us with two months’ notice in late winter, and the rental market was almost nonexistent at that point. We even looked at buying—which, to our surprise, was actually possible given our humble means. We were staving off panic, and not very successfully, to be honest. Enter Patrick. He guided us through that period of unbelievable stress. He tirelessly met with us and kept generating new places for us to see. He buoyed our spirits many, many times. He taught us what to look for and why it mattered. Twice we bid on a home and lost out to cash/no-conditions offers. Our spirits were being crushed, our hope dashed. It’s hard to summon the belief needed to go through a home-buying process only to have the carpet pulled out from under you over and over again. Patrick felt our frustrations with us but always kept a sense of hope alive. We really had no choice but to reset and keep trying. The dream of an actual house was slipping through our fingers. Every time we lost out, so did a whole group of other buyers in our range, and the market was getting competitive quickly. We began to look at compromises, and it was disheartening. One last home appeared, and it felt like our final chance at a place in a real neighbourhood. We loved it. It was in our range. We dared to dream again. We bid. Patrick called us and advised us on how to make the offer as strong as it could be. We submitted the offer, sent a home-buyer’s letter to the owner, and prayed to the gods of humanity and luck that we wouldn’t lose out again to a cash/no-conditions bid. When Patrick called with the news that our offer was accepted, we screamed with joy. We couldn’t believe it. Patrick worked closely with the selling realtor and truly made things happen. It turned out there were ten other offers on the house—including another cash/no-conditions offer—and the owner chose our family to take over the home they had known most of their life. It has been over six months now, and Patrick remains a kind and helpful presence in our lives. Any questions we have, he’s just a text or call away. He is a friend, and we will always be grateful that he was there to help us through one of the most difficult times in our lives. He was an oasis of humanity in a very systemic and unfeeling process—a good soul. Thank you, Patrick.