I always let contracting companies know that I must have documents 2 hours prior to the scheduled closing time to be on time. Here’s what I do:
2 1/2 - 3 hours before the signing if I don’t have documents I send the contracting company an email saying something like “Hello all! I just wanted to let you know that I must have the documents by X:XX (two hours before the closing) to ensure that I am on time for the scheduled closing at X:XX.”
By doing this I am not saying that I won’t do the signing, but I am giving them a cut off time that HAS to be met for me to be on time. Depending on my schedule I may or may not do the signing if I get the documents past my two hour cut off. I DO NOT sit around worrying about documents or the signing. I will contact the signer at the 2 hour mark and let them know that since I don’t have the documents that I probably will not be on time for the signing. I ask the signer what their later availability is and Iet them know that I will contact them again once I have the documents in hand and can give them a firm meeting time. I let them know that if they want to know why I do not have the documents they need to contact their lender.
In this instance, since there was a scheduled attorney’s office I would have also contacted the office at 2 hours prior to the signing and let them know that I wasn’t going to need the office at the scheduled time and see if they had any later availability.
While it usually doesn’t take me two hours to print and drive to a location I absolutely don’t rush just because a company sends me documents at the last minute. If I rush and make a mistake I will have to pay to correct that mistake on my time and on my dime, they won’t care that they sent me documents at the last minute. Poor planning on someone else’s part does not constitute an emergency on my part.
I don’t go back and forth with the contracting company, I don’t go back and forth with the signers. I don’t let any part of the situation worry me or stress me out, I don’t try to be a superhero and figure out some magical way to make the signing work. If the lender and the title company didn’t care enough to get the documents out on time why should I worry?
And one last thing, I no longer do Texas Home Equity loans unless the contracting company, title company or lender sets up the location. It is way too much of a hassle to schedule an office partly due to situations like the one you went through. I also don’t like paying for the office and then having to wait 30 or more days for the contracting company to “pay me back.” Again, if they want their loan closed they will find a place for it to close.
Ok, that was long but I think that’s it! 