I have signed up as a Mobile Notary, Loan Signing agent certified NNA, remote online notary and not one job yet…signed up for premium service here as well!! Anyone else having this experience? I’m in Las Vegas NV as well!!
@brianbell53 Welcome to the Notary Cafe forum! Great question. 
I’ve searched the Notary Cafe database (a literal GOLDMINE of valuable information) on your behalf. The following threads are insightful & should prove to be of immense assistance to you in regard to your query:
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I’ve linked your moniker to two additional threads that are very helpful as well. You should receive an email from Notary Cafe notifying you of those threads & the reference.
FYI: There literally are THOUSANDS of threads that will be helpful to you within the database. I’ve only scratched the proverbial surface with those listed above . . .
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In case you’re wondering how to access the GOLDMINE yourself directly for utlizing the Search Function on the Notary Cafe database, here’s an image:
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/nearly impossible to locate the Search Function in order to access the wealth of info available within the database.
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BEFORE YOU ACCEPT ANY ORDERS (for your own protection) ===>>>
It’s 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.
Accessing the database to locate info about potential clients has saved many of us an inordinate amount of time ‘chasing’ payments for Services professionally provided to potential non-payers . . .
@brianbell53 P.S. It will also serve you well to do a keyword Search within the Notary Cafe database on the following terms:
Non-payment or non payment
Theft of Services
Alert
Warning
Avoid
Bad Companies
Over the past 6-12 months there have been myriad business entities (predominantly Signing Services [SSs]) that have “closed their doors” & have chosen NOT to pay the Professional Signing Agents who had successfully provided services to their business.
Unfortunately you’ve entered this business at a low point that’s likely to get lower for the next year or two. My advice is to put yourself in a holding pattern until things improve. If you want to stay in this business, put your efforts into learn all you can about this trade. NC is a great resource to tap into the collective wisdom of those who frequent these pages.
Best of luck to you.
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Keep in mind that NNA income survey was done in 2020 when rates were around 2% and business was crazy. I had no problem doing $8000 a month during those times. Companies were desperate to get their loans signed so if you were new, inexperienced or untrained there was still business. It’s entirely different now and most companies are far more selective about who they will hire, choosing those they know and can depend on to turn in quality work. No doubt things will normalize with some exodus from the business and people adjusting to higher rates but for now it’s going to be difficult to transition into this business.
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I started my mobile notary and loan signing business in May 2022, and got several jobs through Snapdocs right away, but that was before interest rates went way up. Then I had long dry spells, with much fewer notices from Snapdocs and others. And I rarely could get the jobs I responded to, and started getting very frustrated. Then at the end of 2022 and into 2023 I started getting quite a few good paying jobs, and the signing services started contacting me directly instead of through Snapdocs, and actually asking me what fee amount I wanted! I don’t know what’s changed, but I guess it’s just more experience and doing a good job.
But I’m still doing this as a part time gig in retirement, not trying to make a living at it. You would probably need to do multiple signings per day to make a good living at this, which I don’t find to be physically possible. The actual signing is the easy part, the prep (printing, scanbacks, notarizing, mailing) is quite time consuming. I had one the other day that took hours: many pages, at least 10 notarizations that needed California acknowledgment pages inserted (it was an out of state home purchaser), scanbacks that required dividing docs into 5 parts due to doc feeder limitations on my printer, and multiple jams on my scanner. It was a $150 job, but afterward I thought, “was that worth it?”. If I just charged the std $15 per notarization, that would be $150 just for that!
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2020 was our Gold Rush, we may never see that volume again and at those fees. We had a Perfect Storm of low interest rates, people working from home with more time on their hands to file papers and Covid which meant hazard pay rates. Even if interest rates go down, the volume will not be as high except for those who are buying now and plan to refi at that time. As long as mortgage rates are less than credit card and personal loan rates, there will be business with Heloc or Cash-out refis as life’s slings and arrows do not always wait for a favorable rate. There should be enough work to squeeze by if a notary expands services additional to Loan Signings such as General Notary Work, Apostilles (maybe, haven’t figured that one out yet) and walking dogs.
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