I’ve met some fantastic individuals from Professors to Plumbers. The most unique signing was in a cow pasture, with both cattle and goats. The most challenging task was the rancher, one of his his ranch hands, and myself trying to keep the goats from snacking on the document pages.
Nothing’s dull in Texas.
I have this mental image of balancing papers on a clipboard on the hood of my Jeep, fending goats off with an outstretched boot while trying to get a clear stamp…
something positive well sort of … I was doing a signing during that Michigan snow storm we got this weekend after the signing got my car stuck in the snow. The signer and his neighbor worked hard to pull my car out of the snow since any insurance or tow company would have had me waiting for hours due to the fact that there were many cars stranded during the storm. They were so nice!!!YAY 
Maybe I’ll stay in the house till March…
Seeing news reports about your weather down here in FL - hope you are okay and warm - and yes - agree with staying in the house til March - for me it would be April!! LOL…
You bring up a good point: the uh-oh moment when an outside factor just cost you more than you made doing the signing. Glad your signer & his neighbor helped you out of a bad situation. Just made me think that this is one more ‘cost factor’ that has never been mentioned but it DOES happen!
this is true. That is another cost that should be included. the worst part about it: If title had not made a mistake with their own paperwork I would have been done with the signing hours before the storm started. An unfortunate series of events…
Yes, I said at least three times while they were pulling out my car “I’ll never drive in the snow again. Never, never, never…”
(I got that quote from an old movie or something)
I started doing signings in September 2001, right around when September 11th happened. I stuck it out in New York as long as I could after that, but it was just too stressful. At times, it would take me 2.5 hrs to drive 9 miles with the constant closures and searches. Plus I just felt so vulnerable all the time: initially all the bridges and tunnels were closed and there was no way to get out of New York City.
So I moved to Virginia.
My in-laws lived there and they promised to help me with my daughters. So I set up shop and commenced to do signings. I had A LOT of work, especially when it was cold because many other signers wouldn’t go out in the cold and ice… but I was from New York, NO PROBLEM.
Then I start noticing a trend, and I mentioned it to this handsome, retired Air Force officer whose loan signing I was doing. I commented on how many military people I was dealing with and he stared at me with a look filled with incredulity and maybe even a hint of contempt and he said
“You know why that is RIGHT.”
and I answered in all my naivete
“No, why IS that?!”.
To which he replied “This is only the LARGEST military industrial complex in THE WORLD!”.
Right then and there, my life flashed before my eyes. And then when I did actual research on the area, I realized, that on top of the HUGE military presence, and very sensitive places in the area like Norfolk Navel Base, Ocean Naval Base, Langley Air Force Base and several shipyards, if I need to leave the area, I have to drive over a bridge OR go through a tunnel because it too is a peninsula like NYC. I might have been helpful to know this information BEFORE, I made such a big transition.
Thus began my goal to be the most informed, most well prepared individual. To this day, more than 2 decades later, I still have to Go Bag ready to go, with all my valuable documents and anything I might need for a quick get away! It has served me well in being a Notary Signing Agent, I’ve done almost 15,000 signings over the last 20 or so years! And developed some wonderful professional relationships with signing companies, title agencies and lenders all over the nation. Not to mention the friends I’ve made. I’ve trained quite a few people too. Some of whom have surpassed my accomplishments!
I had a signing for a very angry and stoic gentleman. When I got to the document with the huge FBI logo on it, I politely said it was only meant to scare the criminals and he was required to sign it anyway. He peeked up over his glasses at me and started shaking his hands like someone who was scared. I quickly shot back, “quit funning me! You sir are no criminal!” He let out a hardy laugh and afterwards was super nice. Best signing ever. I didn’t think I could get him to smile but that worked!!
Goodness that’s hilarious.
