The boxes cost more for the shipper. Some companies want the poly bags. Envelops from FedEx and UPS are rated to 50 pages. More than that can split it open. Some hiring companies are specific on the packaging they want. Only Notaroo ever requested the boxes for the return of huge Reverse files. But everywhere is different.
I found rubber bands even the large loose ones cut paper. I use clips in several sizes. It’s just what I prefer for a clean package return. Consumers like them also. I include it in my fee. My fees page indicate fees include up to 150 pages. The average package I work is bout 100-130 pages. Everyone should quote their time as they find acceptable and appropriate. I don’t personally believe there is a magic national number. Regions vary.
I miss when they used to put the estimated page count in the blast offer. I feel it’s a bit misleading purposefully to omit it. They’d do better do include it so anyone that does reply is aware of what they are getting into from the start and they’d receive a pool of responses from notaries genuinely interested in completing the order , and it allows for an educated counter offer.
Correct, but this is also why they need to be more receptive to fee adjustments when the print exceeds the normal amount. But instead, they will just reassign the order because they know they will find a notary that will do it for that fee, becasue they haven’t done their own cost analysis to know what fee they need to charge to stay in business long term. If there fee is acceptable or not I add an exception for a package count of over 150 pages. I have gotten orders where they agree to that and missed out on others, but I am not in business to make the signing service more money by giving mine away.
Some signing services are more receptive to fee adjustments than others. You have to know who you’re dealing with. This is always a judgment call on a case-by-case basis.
Just as you are free to set your own parameters for work, services are free to select who they wish for assignments. If everyone is in the business of turning a profit - you can’t very well find fault when they do it also.
Agreed. I am not finding fault with the services, they will do to us what we let them do to us. I don’t think saying that if they blast out an order for a refi at $60, which I have seen in the last couple of weeks, that when the package is uploaded and it is 250 pages that the notary shouldn’t be able to ask for more money for that. If you want me to accept a fee without knowing the page count then you need to be willing to at least discuss a fee adjustment. I am not saying they have to agree to a fee adjustment, that is up to them just as it is up to any of us to walk away from the order if it is not profitable for us.
I agree. $60 is ridiculous for anything. I posted this earlier in another conversation, but I had an offer this morning for a Sellers package with 55-60 mile drive, scan backs and I had to provide a witness for $60. I don’t know who would accept that either, but somebody probably will.
Largest one I had was 279 pages. Had to print twice. Took 2 hours to complete! I believe the fee was $125! Now when I a see such a huge package I ask for a fee increase and take into account resources and time. If it gets reassigned that’s totally fine.
A package over 200 pages is a jumbo and I always ask for an extra print fee. The reason to find such a massive page count varies: sometimes it’s because they have more than two signers; sometimes it is because they have included the appraisal; and sometimes it has special conditions like a loan for low-income housing with all the appendices attached to the Buyer Agreement. You can also find that sometimes a smaller loan is attached to the same package, so you are actually signing two loans. In all my years, I have only allowed to be paid a single loan fee for a double loan package, once. I have had to return assignments due to massive page count if I am not fairly compensated. I will ask for more money even after I have accepted an assignment if there are special conditions like more than two signers, huge package. I don’t use binder clips, I use manila envelops, two sizes, two colors. If something won’t fit in a single envelop, I might separate out the appraisal or divide the pages in half. Envelops keep the pages nicer.
Asking or I should say REQUIRING a notary to print appraisal pages is wrong. Not disclosing that there are appraisal pages is worse. With all the pictures in appraisal documents the toner usage is huge. Appraiser make 2,4,6,8 times what a notary makes. Let them provide the appraisal pages.
I use clear plastic letter or legal-size envelopes to protect my docs. I just reuse the same ones over and over. No clips needed. I put customer copies in a manilla folder. It’s a lot cheaper than clips. You can get 100 folders for $17. If it’s a VIP client I give them their docs in a plastic envelope.
I would have asked for more money and they tyoically don’t add much to the fee so What I normally do is I only print the copy for the borrowers to sign and for them I only bring the CD, Note,Mortgage ,payment letter and RTC if it is in the package and I tell the title company that the borrowers requested a signed copy to be mailed or emailed to them. These companies are not paying us a fair amount and a lot of the time they end up keeping more than half of the fee
I got a 300 something page signing and immediately emailed the signing service to request more money. They added substantially to the previous signing fee. win.
