Clients Not Prepared

I NEED advise from seasoned Notary Signing Agents!! After accepting the job, I immediately reach out to the client and confirm. I then ask if they have received and gathered the list of documents (copies) their LO has requested. Sometimes I have the ability to view the LO’s list before I contact and confirm with the client. Sometimes not. When I confirm, I ALWAYS inform the client there LO will need several documents for their loan. I also go over the “basic list”. I request each client reach out to their LO BEFORE I arrive so they will have the time needed to gather these documents. I arrive at my clients home, they have not 1 (or very minimal) of the documents required! :rage: I immediately contact the LO. The LO states the documents listed are NEEDED before I leave the signing. The client then begins running all over the house, leaving me sitting at the table. After 30 minutes to an hour, I am STIll WAITING. What would you do?

I would inform both the loan officer and the borrowers that I have another appointment scheduled and unless they have the documents available, I am not able to wait, and then have them reschedule for a time when they have all the required information available. It is not fair for the loan officer to tell you to wait, unless they are prepared to PAY for your TIME. You are an independent contractor and your Time is Money. I no longer accept assignments for loan applications as I too ran into the same issue. It is the loan officer’s job to make sure that their clients have the information available. As their are NO notary acts needed for these appointments, a Notary Public is not needed and they are just using us to do someone else’s job.

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Thank you for your reply! I truly appreciate it!
You stated you no longer do loans. Would you be willing to share what you are doing with your Notary Commission? I am always looking for new opportunities.
Again, thank you for your reply. :slight_smile:

Hi Tanya:

I still do closing appointments for loans/refinance etc. but I do not take the appointments for the loan applications, as there are no notary acts involved with those. In addition, I market to local escrow companies for direct closings, vs. via signing companies. I do general notary work for local attorneys who do not have a notary in house. I also visit local hospitals, senior assisted living, senior center, local detention center, business offices, general public etc. I would say that the larger percentage of my business comes from the general public vs. loan signings. It also on the whole is more profitable as you can charge for each notary act plus a travel fee vs. taking a flat fee for a loan signing. Check with your State guidelines with regard to travel fee as some states have limits.

I would suggest getting listed on other notary sites as well. Also, if you don’t have one, create a website and a free listing on Google, Yelp, etc. The more you have, the more you will appear on search engines. I literally spent my first year just doing research and marketing. That paid off as I have regular local clients who need documents notarized on a regular basis. In addition, I always send a Thank You card out after the appointment for new clients. Include extra business cards, this has always got me more business and referrals to their friends etc. If you can afford it, join a business networking group, like BNI, Chamber of Commerce. Also visit banks and talk to their loan officers, some don’t like working with signing services and will call you directly for in-house closings. Hope this helps.

Cry, get red in the face with anger, clenched my teeth, glower, shake and hang my head. Been there and done all that. Quite often you’ll get lucky, when you call the customer to confirm the appointment and go over the documentation needed, by god they will be there when you sit down at the table. I was lucky today, I hope I’ll be lucky tomorrow. But, hey, stuff happens and I think I’ve seen it all many times over. Fun.