I’ve been out of the game for over a year. I’m trying to get back to what I enjoy doing which is loan signing. It is almost mandatory to have a high powered portable scanner as a part of your notary bag! Title companies are wanting scan backs on full loan packages and for the drop to be made at fedex all within 2 hours max. Heaven forbid that you do not own a portable scanner and you have to travel back to your home to scan in LA traffic. I’m learning really quick that the game has changed, I use to be able to accept a signing, and only have to scan back the essential documents and drop at fedex before 5pm. I have lots to learn really quick. But trust that I will not low ball my fees, it’s just not worth all of the hassle to only get paid crumbs. My time is valuable.
Totally agree!!! Not only has this become mandatory, but the texting requiring instantaneous replies is also mandatory. If you don’t reply within 10 seconds, you don’t get the job. This is all very insulting to professionals who have worked hard for many years to build a business. On top of all this, they expect us to accept lower fees. I honestly don’t know where this is all going. It’s sad.
Yep…it has changed from a respected profitable business to one similar to where you gather on a corner and hope a farmer will pick you to be a day-worker picking fruit or veggies.
The increase in scanbacks is because of the tons of 6-figure newbs enticed into the biz the last couple of years, and, of course high interest rates and low volume don’t help either.
I feel your frustration. Yes, absolutely your time is valuable!
I find so much of the assignment instruction is often boilerplate language with no regard to what time the assignment and loan documents are received, or how far the signing location is from me. So here is how I approach “full scanbacks required within an hour of signing” and same-day drop requests.
If at 2PM Friday I receive a request to do a loan signing 3PM and the signing location is an hour’s drive away from me – or there is heavy traffic, I reply to adjust expectations with my hiring company. Obviously it takes TIME for a notary signing agent to receive, print/prepare the loan documents. So I advise the hiring company that the signing will take place as soon as possible and that I will do scanbacks as soon as possible when I return home after the signing and that the drop will be done asap the next day if the office is closed by the time the scans are completed. FedEx and UPS picks up on Saturday, but pretty much only Amazon does overnight delivery on Sunday. So what the hiring company asks for and what is possible are not always the same. If scanbacks and a same-day drop are absolutely required, then it means the signing time would need to be moved up to an earlier time. OR they have to find a notary signing agent who lives next door to the signers.
I never do scanbacks on the road with a mobile scanner and I certainly won’t stop and do it at any office supply store. Too cumbersome and more importantly not secure. Notary signing agents who are “Fidelity Approved” know better than to send any loan document or stipulation in an unsecure manner. I only do scanbacks at my home office with my own full-size equipment (for accuracy) and where I know with certainty that my internet connection is secure.
Hang in there, April! When mortgage rates drop significantly, signings will pick up once again.
Amen! Great anology.
Analogy! Couldn’t have said it better.
This vocation is ever evolving, and so to must be the NSA and yes, this can be very frustrating. If NSAs do not learn to quickly adjust to the varying changes or demands from clients, then they will not be successful.
More like devolving than evolving.
Carmen I so agree with your comments. I have buyer signing for AZ property Monday. Wanted scan backs within a certain time frame and I enlightened scheduler regarding mileage involved for signing and comment was “oh”. Since person was in AZ has no clue about WA locations stated he understood. Since my neck of the woods is rural have to whip those callers into shape with my Mom voice if they want a seasoned professional. My son is a techie and agrees on the road scanning is not secure if using random internet access. Fortunately I also live within 2 miles of UPS and FedEx to meet cutoff deadlines of 4pm.
I agree. A mobile scanner using Direct Connect to your cell phone is secure. Using your cell phone to upload scans over your cell provider network is just as secure as using your home network. Either adapt to the newest technology or bow out of the business. Evolution can’t be stopped.
Not to mention that if you are returning home between every signing rather than back-to-back-signings on the road, you will never succeed in this business.
Jeff I understand your comments and I’m not totally outdated. 2 items on my side is I’m 2 miles away from UPS and FedEx stores. Out in my neck of the woods don’t always have good cell phone coverage. Some areas favor Verizon and other areas T-Mobile. I’m told they all work off same repeaters but that is yada, yada. Most of my signings are within 10 mile radius of my office so “when” I have scanbacks required distance is not a big issue. Recently became aware I’m last Fidelity Approved Notary for local towns I service. For me Fidelity signings “usually” don’t require scanbacks. My son is a techie and keeps me up to speed on home security. Waiting to see what happens when AI effects our forever changing system.
I upload a scanner application to my cell phone, which I use to scan the docs.
I have scanner app on my phone but don’t like quality of scans. Maybe cell phones and apps differ. Thanks for info.
I’m in the game but I don’t call it that I call it a business and there’s a huge difference between a “independent business “and a larger new business. With that said independent just like the word states you are proving to so many companies title companies escrow officers signing services depending on where you’re at that you are professional can handle it Can answer questions and can have scan back if needed in a timely manner. My first year when I knew I wanted this to be full-time first thing I did was find on clearance a mobile laser, printer, and a mobile scanner. My desktop is Epson and my Mobile Epson , I dedicated my surface laptop to work so that at any time I can show that it’s protected from not only viruses but from any other scam emails and that all my documents are protected once delete it they are virtually delete it in the background just like getting receipts instead of using dropbox anytime I’ve had a company out of the blue asked me. Can I send a picture of the receipt? I instantaneously do it With the complaints about Escrow needing documents within two hours these are same-day funding most of the time. They are literally behind the computer waiting for scans to be able to send that up for approval through funding. This is all live time. I’ve built up. I close title companies when they are double booked every month and I’ve had the opportunity to watch in lifetime as funds are approved meaning funding so I do have a full meaning of what this means. Another words when you’re at the table and it’s a seller or a purchase just because you have the documents that person technically is not approved yet by getting your scans immediately, it is still a weight game upon final improvement with funding. This is very important And closure or not I don’t mean to sound hard. All I mean is the more knowledge you have of this the more understanding you’ll have. I believe my full-time dedication professionalism and constantly knowledge learning is based on what I have shown and proven to do too many companies , as far as equipment cost it’s a business I constantly look I never buy the first thing I look at clearances and got my Laser mobile printer for $20 the cheapest toner cartridge I can find it when it needs it is $52 and it’s still running great My Epson ES 200. I managed to get $140 this was 2 1/2 years ago and they are both running well. I keep updates updated on it and I keep them clean. I don’t use them daily when I absolutely know that I need to set it up when I start the signing signers borrowers are more than happy to give you that extra time, sometimes even scan as the documents are being signed, it works great as far as fees, yes, I have seen several that are lower than normal and our fee here in my state has doubled as a January 1, but I also have negotiate it knowing there’s other agents that probably excepted the lower amount and it’s been assigned to me which shows they would rather pay a little bit more to have a known professional notary execute the documents. And now as it’s grown strong, and I’m busy weekly, there are certain companies. I simply am not available to because they would rather lowball the figures and that’s OK. I respect them also as a business but the companies I do close for respect to pay a proper fee, which that also is very important not to gouge, if you know, it’s a signing service well you know it’s a middle person. Therefore you’re gonna have to give a little cause they need to make a little too anytime. I have a title company email. There’s no person to pay. They’re willing to pay an appropriate free for direct Closings . I wish you all the best coming back, but even returning is kind of like starting out new again So you’ll have to probably prove yourself again and build back up. Forgive any misspellings ahead of time, my phone was typing as I was talking in order to reply…
Adapting to new jobs is the key to thriving in any job It’s always best to have the right tools to complete a job quickly. For instance, I’ve been able to finish four jobs in a single day thanks to my portable printer, scanner, internet hotspot, and high-tech laptop. I often scan documents at the client’s location, I always carry FedEx and UPS envelopes with me to drop them off at the nearest FedEx drop box. If the office is closed, I use the FedEx app on my iPhone to find the nearest drop box and its pick-up time. Adapting to new tasks is crucial to succeeding in any job.
Can you please tell me which mobile laser printer you purchased? I haven’t seen one before, only inkjet mobile printers. I have an HP mobile printer nd its amazing fast but its a inkjet
HP 110 I found it in a staples on clearance forc19.95, built in WiFi I connect to. Where my scanner I connect to it personal hotspot)
I am only 1 month in and I was offered $35 for a closing an hour away. Via Snapdocs. A whole lot different than $75 I thought I would be offered. I make more than that doing GNW. A lot more for less the effort. What a true insult 
Any company that offers such low fees deserves to be blacklisted by us