Covid-19 Are YOU worth the risk?

How many notaries are putting there lives in danger or spreading the virus for someone to lower there interest rates?
How many notaries are staying at home and being safe for themselves and there families?

I’m still active for jobs that come up. I just make sure I have my mask, hand sanitizer and am proactive about distancing. These signing companies are still sending me low ball offers and I’m still counter offering with higher fees and specific agreements. Seems like signing services do not like me being picky, but it’s my health at risk and also, it’s my worth!

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I am in Las Vegas area, I have been doing signings. taking care of myself with my mask, antibacterial, cleaning my pens and taking all the safety measures that i can.
However, the other day i went and did a signing and one of the parties involved in the signing -Grab my hand and shake it!!! I was so madd and I immediately clean it, so frustrated… I am wondering if is worth it for me to go and exposed myself? Like i said i am taking the safety mesures that i can but i don’t know if the other people is… and i am really considering to stop until things get better

I am in Los Angeles County and I am not working. Although I am very healthy, I feel like its too risky for me and my family and the fees should definitely be higher. Notaries should get the full Notary Signing Agent fees that are paid out.

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I am still doing signings but being picky with my areas and fees. It is very insulting that some of these companies are still wanting to give us 50 or 60 dollars for a refi. Not even during good times should they offer these low fees. I am in Portland Oregon.

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I live in WA State and we were hit hard here in King County, I have chosen not to take any signings until May o1 or order is lifted. I am not going to risk myself, my husband and other family members. I typically do 4-5 signings a day. I signed 2 doctors which had both had contact with Covid patients and a few nurses which actually gave me some really nice masks, but its not worth the money right now. People want their loans signed, they are not going to tell you if they have been sick or had a cough in the last 10 days. I asked all the questions and had one coughing every 10 min, left over cold she said. Well Im not taking the risk.
Stay Home , Stay Safe and apply for the 600 a week unemployment coming for self employed, independent contractors. Not much but better than risking our health.

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I call the morning of signings to check health of signers, tell all that I require 6 ft distance - inside or outside - and other restrictions. I wear gloves and masks and booties so I do not track germs. I have walked away from two signings after I arrived to find people coughing.

I support people who have no one else, and there is just never enough left at the end of the month to build a reserve.

Am I risking my health? Is continuing to work the right choice? $600 is a third of what I make in a week. Medication co-pays cost $450 every week. No way could I keep our heads above water on the remaining $150 a week.

I will continue to work. I will be very careful, I will take every recommended precaution. But this will end. And when it does, there will still be roofs to repair and gutters to replace, plumbing bills, power bills, car repairs, dentist bills, caregiver bills, co-pays, medication, and groceries.

Staying on top of all that is worth the risk.

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I have more work than I can do. I have done some real research online and I know that I am in no danger. I will not wear a mask and gloves and I will not do garage signings. It is already too hot here for that. I will sit at the kitchen or dining room table and conduct the signing normally or they can find someone else. I refuse to participate in mass hysteria and ignorance.

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Im trying to take only highly vetted signers. I’ve turned down signers that say things like “its a hoax”. I revently was fired from a job because I insisted the signers wear a facemask… It’s ugly out there. I wish I could stay home.

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And, of course, it’s online so it must be true. Mass hysteria and ignorance? I don’t think one notary here or on other forums is submitting to mass hysteria, but they ARE listening to their local medical experts and emergency management agencies. Not sure how you think you are immune to this virus, but if you wish to put yourself at risk, you’re more part of the problem rather than the solution. You have NO idea who is on the other side of the door you’re walking into, where they’ve been or who they’ve had contact with - in all honesty, from your statements, I’d say your “real research” is very faulty on how this virus spreads…and you are putting yourself and your family at serious risk.

Good luck with your procedures and the money you’re raking in - but please do not demean those notaries who listen to the experts.

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Thank you for your replies. I do wish that all notaries working or not are keep safe.

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Alice in WA staying home until May 4th at least.

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Well, in my opinion, you are foolish and taking risks. I know two people (I knew) two people who died in the last week from COVID! This is no joke. Yes, there are some people over-reacting by hoarding and some are just plain nasty. But the numbers of people who died and the number of people infected are not made-up numbers.

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Agree - and even setting the numbers aside - there are the FACTS that cannot be denied:

  1. This virus is contagious and passed on by a person who has no idea they have it; and they can be asymptomatic for up to two weeks.
  2. It lives on surfaces - transferred by people who have no idea they have it;
  3. For each one person who has it, they can contaminate 3 others;
  4. There is no known cure for it yet nor is there any vaccine against it.

The flip and cavalier attitude of this poster is just absolutely astounding.

Please everyone, stay home…or stay extremely safe.

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Yep, the money she is raking in! But at what cost? I respect the notaries who are putting safety first. If I brought this virus to someone else, I don’t think I could live with that. I work to pay bills and survive, no frills. With the assistance we will get from the government (which will have to be paid back in huge taxes) I will be fine.
Thank you stating the truth!

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I was exposed to a coughing child two weeks ago despite the signer being vetted. He was getting over 160k in a refi so I guess he thought it was worth the risk. I am now out of self-quarantine but I’m still not going out. When I was doing signings I used the following safety measures: pre-screen for sickness and travel, outdoor signing, hand sanitizer for all parties, I do not handle the signers IDs directly instead they take them out and I photograph them, delete after recording the information. Signers use their own pens black or blue ink, (California doesn’t care), I ask them to have blue pens available when I confirm the appointment. Masks, either them or me, sometimes all of us, hand sanitizer prior to signing my ledger and after the thumbprint. I felt reasonably safe asking them to thumbprint once hands were sanitized. I keep social distance and I’ve reviewed the documents prior to the signing so I can walk them through the signatures. I have never sat in the car and walked them through over the phone, but some notaries are using this approach. I make one copy of the documents if there is a scanback and I send the signers a completed copy of their documents by encrypted email. In orders where two copies are required, I try not to handle the borrower’s copy other than to put it from the printer into the manila envelop. We only draw from that stack if there is a serious, unfixable error in the Lender copy. I never leave my keys, or cellphone on their table and I sanitize my hands again over my gloves once I’m in my car. I also sanitize my car keys and the steering wheel. I take off my gloves that have been sanitized and let them dry out on the passenger seat. Masks should not be removed and reworn because you may accidentally introduce the virus this way as you can assume the outside of the mask is contaminated. If you are wearing a mask, keep it on until you are done for the day. This is very difficult for me because I cannot breathe properly and the mask forces air up fogging my glasses on a cold day. At home I remove my shoes at the door, hang the jacket out to air. I check over the documents on spread out newspaper so nothing touches my desk or table top. I pack for shipment and only make one shipping run. Not going out for signings means I have no other source of income and I have three kids in college with no jobs. I will work things out with our creditors and I’ve applied for unemployment. I don’t have a choice as I have health issues and live with others who are at risk. It is better to file bankruptcy, if needed, than die isolated in a hospital bed.

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Nope! Not for the last month and not for the next. My wife has bone marrow cancer and maybe if it was just me? I don’t know. I do know I will not put at risk

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I tried to go on the EDD webpage to apply for the $600 but I wasn’t able to; how did you do it and what do they ask ?

Did you go on the regular EDD website to file for unemployment?

I haven’t worked since March 3rd because I have to worry about my granddaughter who I babysit every week. I need that unemployment check But I wasn’t able to complete the app, do we go to the regular EDD website or is there a special place for self employed people?