Author: Courtney Collings

Join our Team

Office

The time has come to expand our Lomonte & Collings team!

We’re a family owned and operated insurance brokerage located in Bradford. We’ve been providing insurance solutions for families and businesses since 1992 and pride ourselves on our exceptional customer service. We offer an industry competitive salary range, company benefits package and absolutely no cold calling is required.

Job summary includes:

  • Sales and service of property and auto insurance policies

Responsibilities and Duties

  • Fielding incoming calls for service and quotes
  • Maintaining and servicing existing customer files including cross selling and remarketing of products
  • Responding to customer or company inquiries in a timely fashion
  • Maintaining comprehensive and accurate activity notes on client files
  • Processing new policies, endorsements and renewals
  • Reporting and following up on claims

Qualifications:

  • RIBO licensed with 2 or more years’ experience as a customer service representative
  • Commercial Insurance experience is an asset
  • Excellent telephone and email communication skills
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Products including Outlook, Word and Excel
  • Familiarity with Epic, Applied Rating Services and Policy Words are an asset
  • Ability to organize and prioritize work effectively
  • Strong work ethic with the ability to work independently and with others in an office environment
  • A willingness to keep learning and expanding knowledge

Please send your resume and cover letter to Chris at chris@lomonteandcollings.ca or drop it off at our office at 9-126 Bridge Street in Bradford.

 

COVID 19 UPDATE

washing hands

As we continue to be inundated with news about COVID-19, we wanted to reassure you that Lomonte & Collings Insurance Services has put preventive measures and a proactive plan in place to ensure that we can continue to meet the high customer service standard our clients deserve.

Please be advised that our office has put the following practices into place in order to protect the health of our staff and our clients during this critical time:

  • We will no longer be accepting any clients in our office. The doors to our office location will be locked and all business must be conducted by either phone or email.
  • Our brokers now have the ability to work remotely from their homes. They will be available by email and will be checking their messages through out the day. Emails and extensions are listed below. Should you choose to leave a message on their voicemail, they will respond to your call by the end of the business day.
  • We will have a team member checking the voicemail at our reception. If you leave a message there, we will ensure it reaches the appropriate staff member.

We are confident that these actions will support continued, uninterrupted service. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will keep our clients posted as the situation develops. Thank you for your continued support.

  • The Lomonte & Collings Team
Name Extension Email
Bill Collings 222 bill@lomonteandcollings.ca
Courtney Collings 248 courtney@lomonteandcollings.ca
Patrick Collings 242 patrick@lomonteandcollings.ca
Chris Ludlow 225 chris@lomonteandcollings.ca
Penny Bettencourt 224 penny@lomonteandcollings.ca
Suzanne Gallan 226 sgallan@lomonteandcollings.ca
Suzanne Pludra 233 suzanne@lomonteandcollings.ca
Janet Lewis 230 janet@lomonteandcollings.ca
Jennifer Giles 232 jennifer@lomonteandcollings.ca
Sarah Jurgens 246 sarah@lomonteandcollings.ca
Jessica Spang 221 jessica@lomonteandcollings.ca
Jeannette Wren 234 jeannette@lomonteandcollings.ca
Melodi Schiafone 227 melodi@lomonteandcollings.ca

 

Our Giving Tree

Pine cones

Lomonte & Collings is getting into the Christmas Spirit! We have started a giving tree. From Now until December 6 we invite you to come and take a paper ornament from our Christmas tree and replace it with a monetary or non-perishable food donation that will go to the Bradford Helping hands Food Bank.

The Food bank is in need of the following items:

  • Juice boxes
  • Ketchup
  • Canned Fruit
  • Peanut Butter
  • Canned Stews
  • Boost/Ensure
  • Personal Hygiene items (i.e. Shampoo, tooth brushes, tooth paste)

Thank you for your support!

 

– The Lomonte & Collings Team

 

Top 3 Reasons You Need Winter Tires

winter tires

As the temperature drops and our days shorten, Canadian start to gather their winter essentials; thick coats, warm boots, bags of salt and a sturdy shovel. Winter tires, on the other hand, have always been a point of debate. Some people say they can’t live without them while others say they’re not worth the price tag. Below, you’ll find three reasons why snow tires really are a winter essential.

1.  They’re Built for the Snow

Tires have to meet strict performance criteria in order to earn the coveted “winter tire” label. When temperatures drop, the rubber used for regular or “all-season” tires hardens making them ineffective on the slick roadways. The rubber used for snow tires, on the other hand, stays soft which allows them to better conform to the texture of the snow and ice covered roads.

2.  They Have Unique Treads

Snow tires have unique treads that are wider and larger than standard “all season” tires. The tread on snow tires have two functions. First, it’s designed to wick away moisture from the tires main point of contact which allows for more control. Second, the larger tread means that when the tires rotate, they can grip into the ice and snow and, ultimately, kick it out behind them as the vehicle moves along the slick surface.

3.  Better Stopping

Starting a vehicle in slick conditions is hard. Stopping a vehicle in slick conditions is even harder. Studies have shown that snow tires can decrease your stopping distance by up to 37%. That is an enormous advantage on our snowy northern roads. This could not only prevent an accident, it could end up saving a life.

When In Doubt, Stay Off The Roads

We encourage all drivers to consider purchasing a set of high quality winter tires for their vehicles. Winter tires give you more control in snowy conditions. With that said, if the road are bad and you don’t have to drive, the safest option is always to stay put until the weather – and the roads – clear up.

Discounts Available – Call Your Broker!

If you do have winter tires, be sure to call your broker today. You may qualify for a discount on your auto insurance!

Realty Series: The Government’s Strategy to Cool the Market – is it working?

In April of this year, the Ontario government implemented a 16-point plan to help tame the raging housing market in and around the Toronto area. This plan included a range of tactics from slapping on a 15% foreign buys tax to expanding the current rent control rules. Given this plan’s recent implementation, we’ve asked Christine Tetstall, an agent from Sutton Group Associates Inc. who specializes in the Toronto realty market, for her opinion on whether or not these measures are working.

According to Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) President Larry Cerqua, there was a significant increase of 33% in new listings in April compared to April 2016. It was also stated that sales dropped by 3% since April 2016. These facts can be considered encouraging, giving hope that a more balanced market is on the horizon. Have the government’s imposed measures to cool the market already made an impact? Debatable.

I agree that there has been a slight slowdown in the market, however, I am not seeing a marked decrease in prices. There are still bidding wars, just less buyers competing with each other. For example, there may be 2 or 3 buyers bidding on the same property as opposed to 14 or 15. Accordingly, although there is more inventory, buyers still outnumber what is available, and prices are still soaring. As an illustration, TREB reported that the average selling price in April was  $920k, compared to the average sales price in 2016 at $739k. Admittedly, there is more inventory and a slight drop in sales, but there has not been a notable drop in prices. It is plausible that the modest dip in the market may have been a response to the government’s imposed changes, and as legislation has not backed up the changes yet, the market could easily return to red hot.

Christine Tetstall

Christine is an agent with Sutton Group Associates Inc., Brokerage in Toronto. She specializes in the Toronto realty market. You can reach her by email at chtetstall@gmail.com or by phone at 416-966-0300. You can also find her online at www.christinetetstall.com.