Where do you live? What is your signing area?
Where do you live and what is your service area? Some of us live/work in areas like Phoenix where the market is SATURATED with notary doing loan signings. If you’re the only show in town, you can demand that kind of money and get it. If you live in an area with 20 other NSAs including a bunch of newbies who accept lowball offers, then you can’t demand those prices or you’ll sit home with no work. In areas like mine that are heavily saturated with notaries new and experienced, there’s a really fine line you have to walk because if you turn away low offers, someone else will do it and you’ll have no income. NO ONE in Phoenix can demand the money you’re demanding, so clearly there is a much higher demand where you live.
3 Likes
What service are you using? I rarely can get over $125. Most of the time it is $100.
Hope this helps:
“It is a funny thing about life, if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it”
– W. Somerset Maugham
In the NSA world, if you refuse to accept anything but a fair signing offer, you very often get it! 
Many NSAs feel that if they don’t take anything coming through which are mostly low fees, someone else will take them, so they are stuck on taking low fees over and over again. For this reason, we have all these signing and title companies pumping out low fees all across the country. Why? Because if you don’t take them, someone else will! And that’s what they are counting on. If more people refuse to work for less, at a loss, or even for free. They will start paying more fair fees!
Know your worth. Set the fees that you are happy with and stick with that! Good luck!
3 Likes
I just received a notification for a reverse mortgage for $75 through signingorders.com! I laughed so hard I fell off my chair! 
.
What in the world are they thinking? And I know someone else will take it!
3 Likes
You clearly don’t live in an area saturated with notaries who WILL take lowball fees. I tried that path- only accepting $95 or more, and all it did was provide more work to other notaries, and piss off the signing services and get de-activated. Knowing your worth and negotiating a good fee only works when you’re in a strong negotiating position, which you clearly are in your geographic area. My area is saturated with notaries taking $75 fees. When I negotiate, I stay home. It’s easy to be condescending when you’re in an area where you can negotiate. Try moving to Phoenix and see how successful you are at “knowing your worth and demanding it”. You’ll be out of business in no time, just like everyone else here who attempts to negotiate better fees in a market saturated with retirees and newbies who don’t have to make a living at this and are happy with crap fees.
8 Likes
Exactly what I’m saying. It’s not about knowing your worth… it’s about supply & demand.
1 Like
The prices we can charge is very dependent upon the area of the country. I have given similar information here before. I live in Roanoke, VA
$200 minimum in Roanoke, VA (I don’t walk out the door for less even if it is 1 page.)
EXTRA CHARGES
$100 if they want me the same day they call me
$100 for Sat and Sun
$50 for critical docs scanbacks
$100 if they want all the docs scanned back
$100 per hour for travel (For example, if the signing is 2 hour round trip then extra $200)
I stay busy and have to turn down jobs that I don’t have time to do.
A company called “NotaryGo” sends out work for $60. A lady is taking those jobs in our area. I would be highly surprised is she is still in the business next year. BUT there will always be some new people who will take the low paying job trying to get experience. I don’t worry about it.
2 Likes
Same here in the Palm Springs area, too many NSAs willing to accept low offers.
I’m brand new and just did my very first refi - in FL. Was amazed by the number of jurats - and most of them required FL loose certificates - so it can’t just be us with that many - the language was pretty generic. Def not FL and not CA, but the escrow was in CA and the borrower was FL. And, since it was my first one, I did have to go back again to pick up a missing signature - one that I will not miss again for a very long time. I am picking up some lower offers because I am new. When you are experienced, you can command a higher fee – I’ve been a teacher for 30 years and gotta say, if I had been getting the same salary as the newbies, I would have been upset. Likewise, as a new notary, should not be competing with experienced ones.
2 Likes
Well they won’t listen unless everyone refuses to say YES.
1 Like
Which we have been saying for lo! these many moons!
1 Like
Thank you for this information! I am also new and questioning my own abilities. This will help me gain confidence to know my worth.
1 Like
LindaH, Judikidd
I’m going to have to respectfully disagree. If others professions are getting hazard pay, then so are we.
All you need to know about hazard pay during COVID-19
COVID-19 has vaulted hazard pay into the spotlight — and some members of Congress are taking action.
On April 7, 2020, Senate Democrats unveiled The COVID-19 “Heroes Fund,” proposing premium hazard pay for essential frontline workers across the United States through to the end of 2020. According to the proposal, essential frontline workers earning less than $200,000 per year would be eligible for a $25,000 pay increase, also called “premium hazard pay.”
Those earning more than $200,000 per year would be eligible for a $5,000 pay raise. The funds would be provided directly to eligible employers, who would then disburse the money to qualified employees.
Additionally, on May 1, 2020, Senator Mitt Romney released Patriot Pay, proposing hazard pay for essential workers in critical industries. Patriot Pay calls for a temporary bonus of up to $12 per hour, in addition to regular hourly wages, in May, June, and July. Three-quarters of the bonus would be paid by the federal government via a refundable payroll tax credit and the remaining one-quarter would be funded by the employer.
To top it off, some states and cities — e.g. Massachusetts and Vermont — are introducing or considering hazard pay legislation, in light of COVID-19.
1 Like
Yes, we’ll have to agree tto disagree - because both of your links address employers and employees but say nothing about Independent Contractors - and the definition of who qualifies to be considered “frontline essential workers” or “critical workers” is still up for huge debate. I, for one, do not believe notaries or signing agents are essential frontline workers. I know folks kept taking loans and the industry kept closing loans but there is always a workaround, rendering mobile notaries and signing agents non-essential. And if you’re referring to remote online notaries, there’s no public contact so no hazard.
JMO and respectfully submitted
The point wasn’t missed at all. it’s quite simple, as I posted.
These numbers are good. Can you clarify if you Are charging these fees for direct signings or through SS?
Even being new it’s difficult to believe a SS can’t find another notary for $10. Please know I am not making any assumptions about you or your work, just trying to get an understanding and learn some things myself.
I go to the home or place designated. Of course, safety is vital. I have also walked away from a closing because the signers wanted me to conduct an hour long signing outside in 40 degree weather with 30 mile per hour winds. It was on a shaky card table with no chairs. Too close contact plus I wasn’t dressed for that kind of weather.
1 Like
I have encountered similar situation in this pandemic, and as a newbie didn’t know how to handle… I just promised to myself that next time I just pick up and leave. Very disregarded from some borrowers, like if only their health matters.