Firstly, never ever ever highlight the documents. That is super important. Most title companies frown on using highlighter. If you must use tabs but never ever us highlighter. They can and will reject whole packages for that.
I also prefill as much as possible before going there to help things go faster.
In regards to the book, well, I just put one entry per closing for each person. You can list all the notarized documents in the package in the notes area if you wish. I have been doing this for so many decades and have never needed that much detail to refer to. It costs too much to get that many books and takes too much time for the borrowers to sign and for me to fill out. It just is not cost effective. We are advised to have a separate entry for every notarization however when each package has at least 10 notarizations and I do on average 6 a day that is not a cost effective way to run my business. I put a lot of detail into that one entry but I do not do separate entries. When signing I only do a brief description of every document. Donāt go into detail. Just a brief explanation will do. Most people just want to know what their rate is and how much it is going to cost them. Most people you will sign have done this before as well. I always remind them that I am giving them a copy as well so they can review in more detail later. My signings rarely take more than 30-45 mins tops. So basically I make sure I have drive time in between and make sure I have the documents the day before. Now that is the thing, when you do that many in a day it is CRUCIAL that you be specific with the title company that you MUST have the documents by a certain time or you will have to reschedule. Many companies say they will have 2 hours prior, but that is not enough when you have so many signings. It means you have to come home and print and go back out which is not always realistic. Notary companies seem to think that your only signing is their one but that is hopefully not the truth. 
Be specific and say like āI need the docs by 7am or I will have to rescheduleā. This way if you donāt get the docs by then they cannot blame it on you when you say you cannot do. Be realistic. They need you like you need them. Remember, THIS IS A BUSINESS. Be sure you get paid for your services. If you only charge like $75 for a refinance or purchase, when you minus out taxes, gas, travel time, paper, toner, envelopes/folders, binder clips plus on average around 3 hours of your time for printing, prepping, driving there and back and signing you end up in the negative. It is just good business to make sure you make a profit! That means profitā¦not just some money. That money you get is not all yours, unless you donāt claim on your taxes which you are supposed to do.
This is a businessā¦take pride in what you do and make sure you are making a PROFIT, or you are not running a healthy business. Plus once you accept that lower payment, guess what, they wonāt pay you more later. You donāt need to be the cheapest, be the best. I hope that helps. Just remember, ā¦no highlighter penā¦big no no. ALOHA
Journal handling is state-specific; CA requires one entry per signer per document - so 10 documents w/ 2 signers - 20 journal entries w/ 20 signatures. - thatās required in CA along with thumbprints on certain docs.
Florida has no journal requirements - Iām able to enter ID info once for each signer, have them sign once, then list the docs w/ notarial act provided (an āAā or a āJā in a circle next to doc name).
And agree 100% - never ever highlight the original docs - ever.
I got your back on this Lisaā¦
Lisa is a reasonable person, Im not sure why you all want to bash her but if a fee is low you can also negotiate with C2C. You have to understand that when you take a job with any company that you are not dealing direct so a fee has to be taken off top for technology, communication ETC. Before you read some of these posts and go off, feel free to talk to the companies you deal with and look at the loan sets and see when you go through the documents that if the Escrow company has a charge of 125 and the notary gets 75, the notary is who made the moneyā¦ think about it and look at your paperwork to see the notary fees
And all this traveling 3 hours for $75 dollars makes no sense to me, let a notary that lives closer take those jobs, $75-100 is good money if you travel no more than 50 miles round trip, alot of you see the hotshots on YouTube saying you can make $200 per closing are not taking into consideration that is in LA, most of us do not live there. The average small town to medium size town we live in do not pay that way, stop thinking you need to make $200 just because you accepted a singing that is 120 miles one way, you should not have accepted that job. I have learned alot in the last year and I am still learning. GO DIRECTLY TO ESCROW OR TITLE IF YOU WANT MORE MONEY AND STOP BASHING THE SIGNING COMPANIES THAT ARE GIVING YOU MORE THAN HALF WHAT THEY ARE PAID TO GET YOU WORK AND ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS ANSWER A TEXTā¦
Chirstine,
That was super helpful. It never occured to me to just do one line per signature. Duh! However, I have highlighted every signing Iāve done. In the beginning, it was for me. But recently, its because people have asked to have no contact, so I highlight so that they donāt miss anything. I have never had even one comment on the fact that things are highligted.
Also, what city do you live in? I find myself driving to the same few locations (about 10-12 different cities) but they are all about 30 minutes away. I donāt have many local signings. Once in a blue moon, Iāll have all the docs, the timing will be spaced out enough and I can get to 3 in a day, but thatās happened like maybe twice.
All that said, good for you that you are able to get all of those signings in one day. Iāll use some of your technics to aim for that goal. Thanks.
Coast to Coast gets a lot of flack but I believe they can be great for newbies. They are nearly always available to help and you will gain experience. You donāt get direct jobs right out the gate - you need to get experience. That said, once you gain it, go after higher paying companies.
Also, I suggest you invest in a proper scanner. I can scan and upload a 300 page doc in under 10 minutes
epson workforce es-500w scanner You will never regret it!
I agree with you sentiment that Lisa handles herself reasonably by my interaction with her as well. I made it very clear in a follow-up post that Lisa DID NOT have to reach out to me directly or take the time to listen to my side of the situation. I also do not find it fair for people to bash Lisa personally when this is a business.
Thank you, Lisa is my boss and i got her back to the fullest, I do QC for C2C, I am the person that most times will check your documents before they get to escrow or title for errors, People do not realize how much we actually do at C2C. Its sad that so many people say negative things without even having an experience with us
It seems C2C low balls everyone w last minute requests for sure. They like to hang out in Snapdocs. Also star charging for scan backs
Hi Lisa,
I hope you are doing great. As expected I not getting any more orders from C2C. And now I am not even getting paid for orders completed on time as it used to be.
I will appreciate your assistance in both matters.
Have a great weekend
hi there
doing fine fine, verify valid was down Fridayā¦ up and down, and saturday. im paying now.
you can email me ā¦ im here to help
lisa@c2csignings.com
Every time I get a request from Coast to Coast Signing itās for $75! I always counter back for $125 if there are no fax backs, $150 if there are fax backs. I never get it, and I have spoken to Lisa on the phone and had awesome conversations with her! Iām an experienced retired mortgage loan officer I know the package inside and out. I take the package to a proper FedEx facility to return it. Who the hell keeps taking these at $75! Please treat yourself as the professionals that you are. Thereās actually a 12 step group for people who are willing to work for $75; itās called Under Earners Anonymous. It is very popular in the California area and in the New York City area and right now with zoom meetings! I suggest those that are taking these closings at $75 give a meeting a look at!!! Everyone demanded a higher pay scale these $75 closings would Stop.
yessss! we all need to come together and stop accepting these lowball fees. Like a comment above says āyou can charge up to $15 for a notarizationā and most of their docs come with about 8 docs that need notarization equaling to $120. We need to realize our worth!
Good practice. After lo! - these many years and thousands of successful signings, when faced with a large complex signing from a lender unfamiliar to me, I reach for my faithful Post-it flags. Reduces stress during the signing, makes the final check a piece of cake. Canāt beat the fundamentals!
When I go out locally for a notarization I charge a minimum of $25. Up to three signatures. The price goes up from there
I agree with you about having a suitable scanner. My MFC has a 100 page doc feeder and scans/prints/copies/faxes @ 57ppm and will print/scan legal and letter as they show up from a .pdf. Gets me out the door faster and cuts down on scan back time.
I can say that C2C cant pay your min since we only receive $125 average. But we wish you all the best. We donāt want anyone insulted by our offers, so each can block our offers on SD.
As far as what each state allows for a notarization, in Cal it is $15, per signature per page,
however, as a signing agent that numbers matters only in one thingā¦ No Self Employement Tax.
As a signing agent your are not being paid as a notary alone, you are being paid as a signing agent.
Everyone can do what I did, I started over 20 years ago as a signing agent, never said NO to any signing, I went where ever I was asked to go, from Bakersfield, to San Diego in one dayā¦ working until midnight and always being available by asking my friends and family to become signing agentsā¦ and then making partnerships with those I work with, including a company called Select Signings, (no longer in business) I did not turn my nose up at anything, just worked and worked and was so tired most of the time. Eventually is paid off, and i started getting my own clients, and fast forward : still tired most of the time, but have a signing company. We all have to start somewhere and make our own way. But we all make our own business choices, if someone like C2C does not fit, I get it. NO one has to do it how I did, there are roads to sucess everywhere you turn. Just pick one, and donāt burn bridges, if a company does not meet what you want or need, just move on. Its super busy right now, so grab a piece of what you want, but donāt beat up other companies while doing it.
You never know who you might need when things slow down, and it always slows done.
just my two cents
Lisa
gosh I would hate to āhang outā in Snapdocs
Lisa, not to butt my nose in here but I will, but you told her you canāt meet her minimum. Her minimum is $25. Which includes 3 notarization s. And you are getting 125? You may want to edit your post as I really donāt believe thatās what you meant.
If you truly did mean that, how can you possibly justify giving the notary only $25 when you get $125.