To start of I am in Dallas, TX. It has been a while since I got my Notary Signing Agent certification through the NNA and got all the documents in order. I have sign up with various signing services, but I am not getting any signings. Does it normally take a long time to get a your first signing, on some groups people have said that it took them six months. I could sing up with more signing services companies, but I do not want to spend any more money than what I already did. If you have any advice I would really appreciated.
Itâs my understanding that you are in a very competitive area already saturated with experienced notaries so that is your first challenge. The second challenge is ⊠or question reallyâŠdo you have industry experience or training of any kind other than the NNA?
How many companies have you signed up with?
With the current market conditions is this a side service ( I hate the word hustleâŠas this is a professional profession and should be viewed as such) ?
Hi- you mentioned spending more money. I am hoping you are not spending on signing companies since there are numerous companies for free to join. However, no one I know is getting many opportunities these days . Other ways to market yourself may be to attorneys. Best of luck.
@carlos.chavez Welcome to the Notary Cafe forum! It may be helpful to you as a newbie/New Notary Cafe member & a freshly-minted Professional Signing Agent [PSA] to Research the GOLDMINE found within the Notary Cafe database.
Iâve linked two very important threads directly to your profile that will provide you with helpful insights & guidance.
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Itâs always wise to research & vet a new client prior to providing a definitive confirmation to them for your initial Signing Order for them. A great start of research would begin within the Notary Cafe forums Search Function.
A request has been submitted on numerous occasions [to BRIGHTEN the Magnifying Glass] over the years to the Notary Cafe Team Leads. That request has been reportedly passed onto the programmers of the site => that members find it difficult to locate the Search Function in order to access the wealth of info available within the database.
To be helpful, Iâve inserted an image for you & others [see below] to help members locate it to unlock the wisdom & knowledge of other members on the forums.
Accessing the database to locate info about potential clients has saved many of us an inordinate amount of time âchasingâ payments for Services professionally provided to potential non-payers . . . especially now that there has been a DRASTIC downturn in the volume of Signing Orders.
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Regarding your query regarding absorbing the expenditure of additional training, it would not be advisable to invest more at this juncture due to the quite low volume of available orders. In particular, if youâre expecting/hoping for an immediate return on investment [ROI], itâs not very likely. Many PSAs who have extensive experience & many repeat clients are struggling under the current conditions within this business sector. Of course, it will be much more difficult for those who are new/inexperienced.
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Also, BEWARE anyone reaching out who tells you to give them money & theyâll make the orders FLOW your direction. Itâs a SCAM regardless if itâs a directory, training program, marketing, etc.
Business is on life-support and will remain so until int. rates come downâ
This is the worst year ever in 30 years Itâs not even a pt-timej job; more a random event. Do not spend money. Honestly, look for a real job.
Getting started as a Notary Public/Loan Signing Agent, like any other startup business can be challenging. I do not know your situation, such as your market/ business strategy or the competition your are facing in your area. If you want to get your foot in the door, find a way to differentiate yourself from the masses. Itâs going to take a lot of hard work, perseverance, and patience to make it happen. Find yourself a mentor, do not limit yourself to your area. Join various social LSA groups, so you can build relationships. Most importantly, avoid âdream killersâ or ânaysayersâ, they will only discourage and drain your hopes and energies. List building is essential to grow your business, sometimes you just have enlarge the list. Keep moving forward, do not get discouraged. Thereâs business available to find, you just have work harder to find your first assignment. Good luck on your journey!
@cfletcherNOTE:Name-calling is inappropriate & unprofessional.
In addition, the unadulterated truth is certainly the farthest thing from naysaying or dream killing . . .
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I & other business owners on Notary Cafe contribute by donating our valuable time & extensive experience (throughout the ups & downs of the industry) to share & care regarding the current conditions within this business sector.
Unequivocally, youâre entitled to your opinion as well as have the choice of expressing it. You DONâT have the right to stand in judgement of the contributions of others nor to call other members less-than-kind names.
@cNsa5 , Thatâs the beauty of forums, the freedom people have to share their views on topics. I respect your opinion and hopefully you can to do likewise. It is not my intention to stand judgment over any person or resort to âname callingâ. My words of encouragement and usage of those terms that you referenced, was not directed at anyone in the form of name calling. My usage of dream killers was to convey the following definition âobvious fears that undermine an individual dreams and goals are fears of failure, loss and rejectionâ. As for the meaning of ânaysayersâ, âa person who criticizes, objects to, or opposes something.â The writer of the post, asked âAm I doing something wrongâ. I elected to share words of encouragement regarding the individualâs question. If what I wrote is different from your opinion. Itâs okay if we take opposing positions and respectfully agree to disagree.
Hi Carlos, What are you spending money on? If it is business operating costs (E&O, Background check, etc) those cannot be avoided. If it is on sign-up fees and subscriptions that you hope will bring you business, donât do that. In the current environment, waiting months to get your first signing does not seem surprising. Remember there are experienced Notaries leaving the business because of the drop in the number of loan signings.
Iâm one of your colleagues south of you in the Texas Hill Country. Send me a Private Message with your contact information. I maybe able to provide you with some insights on the Texas Markets.
In 2022, Texas took the lead in the nation with the highest statewide number of Notaries at 484,230 currently commissioned, an increase of more than 56,000 new Notaries since our last census. I would bet that the 56,000 new notaries are your main competition. You donât need more training on how to notarize a document, you need a website, solid SEO local placement, and a marketing plan. Because people seldom need the services of a notary public, think of your business model like a plumber would. Advertise to get your name out there and stay focused on getting the phone to ring.
@ewing_joe I agree with your assessment. In 2020 there were about 12 NSAs covering 2000 square miles in a rather low to moderate population density. At the close of 2022 there were about 50 NSAs. Most folks are going to Banks, UPS, and Fedex stores for GNW. Iâve been getting a slow but steady collection of request from law firms, but not enough for full time income. There is an uptick is people moving from one side of town to the other, and these closings are happening at the local Title Offices. Refis are now a rare occurrence.
In the last month, I have had several borrowers ask me about being a notary. They all said they said a Instagram post saying you can make six figures. Has this happened to any one of you as well? I let them know, mortgage transactions are at a 30 year lowâŠ
Try to use google search term, âsnapdocs notary searchâ. This will tell you how many are within xx miles of your chosen zipcode. You can also search signingagent.com profiles in your area to see how much competition is in your area. I live in Rural PA and i got my first signing in 24 hours last year. I do hear people in other more densely populated areas waiting months for a single offer.
Carlos, you may have to just âbite the bulletâ and sign up at a few signing services. Consider it a cost of doing business. NNA has âFind A Notaryâ. Notary Cafe and Notary Rotary have premium services that have worked well for me. Best of luck to you!
It may be helpful to you as a newbie/New Notary Cafe member & a freshly-minted Professional Signing Agent [PSA] to Research the GOLDMINE found within the Notary Cafe database.
