From Manta to Manhattan: NYC Agent Dora Abril Reflects on 30-Plus Years at Douglas Elliman

A few years back, when she began her career as a New York City residential agent for Douglas Elliman, Dora Abril quickly began to notice how frequently her colleagues at the brokerage’s flagship office at 575 Madison would flag her down to ask a question about this system or that protocol.

“The receptionist on the fifth floor would tell me, ‘Oh, my gosh—people are constantly looking for you!’” Dora recalled with a laugh.

Old habits, it seems, do indeed die hard.

Although Dora became an agent in 2020, the 33-year Elliman veteran was well-known to her fellow agents at 575 Madison as a beloved sales and administrative presence and indispensable source of wisdom.

Born in the small Ecuadorian town of Manta before emigrating with her family to the U.S. when she was three years old, Dora has spent virtually her entire professional life in real estate. After working for several years at another brokerage, she joined Elliman as an administrative assistant and went on to “climb up the ladder,” from relocation specialist to office manager to the assistant to then-president, who promoted her to sales manager.

Toward the end of 2019, with her husband, Roberto retiring from his job as an FDNY paramedic and their three sons pursuing lives and careers of their own, Dora decided it was time to hang up the 9-to-5 and became an agent. Her husband also obtained his real estate license and has since worked as a behind-the-scenes teammate. “He’s helped make me successful,” she said.

The change of role, however, hasn’t diminished Dora’s commitment to coming into the office.

“Of course, I could do whatever I have to do from home,” she acknowledged. “But I love to go in, say hello and talk to people—and you never know when business comes your way.”

As it happened, in November of last year, Dora closed two “big rentals that fell into [her] lap,” making her Elliman’s top NYC rental agent for that month.

Long enamored of the Upper East Side, where she enjoys walking and dining out with Roberto, Dora has focused her sales and rental business on the neighborhood, primarily in Lenox Hill.

When they’re not working, she and her husband, who live in Forest Hills, Queens, pursue their passion for travel to Paris and the Caribbean. They love going to Ecuador, where they frequently visit Roberto’s parents. They enjoy Latin dancing—salsa and merengue—and catching Broadway shows.

Reflecting on her lifelong love of NYC, Dora marveled at how far her journey has taken her.

“I came from Manta to Manhattan—from a small city in Ecuador to this humongous city in the United States,” she said.

And she feels especially at home among her colleagues at Douglas Elliman.

“The administrative staff is amazing,” she said, noting the exceptional support and availability of leaders like Richard Ferrari, Hal Gavzie, and Alfred Renna.

Despite receiving regular recruiting calls from other brokerages—at least one a week, she estimates—Dora remains committed to the company where she has flourished for more than three decades.

“I say to them, ‘I’ve been with Elliman 33 years, and I have everything I need. Thank you for calling.”