If your car holds a folding table - that can be a good option.
I’ve gotten signings where the home is truly a hoarder situation. Cats everywhere, concrete floors, and got knows what food type stuff all over the place. I have had to hold my breath and use a clipboard and pray to god it ends soon.
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Animal waste, weed/cigarettes, filthy houses in general are becoming the norm. When I started this people took more pride in their homes and it’s nothing now to go to a house and need a Hazmat suit and a good delousing afterwards for good measure.
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Oh no, smoke is the worst. It gets all over your clothes and you stink after that one visit. If the smoke is that thick, I don’t think I could handle it. So rude to think that you can invite people into your home like that.
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Sit upon just made me flash back to Girl Scouts.
Great Idea about treats.
Absolutely, made my eyes water… I could not wait to get out of there… I’m glad I held my tongue and didn’t say “how can you smell anything over all this cigarette smoke.” So gross!
It’s a matter of weight, California has high fuel prices and every ounce matters in overall fuel costs. Also some of the venues are a climb. I won’t be able to carry a table. I would have to set up in their driveway or parking lot. I remember one notary who calls and asks the signers if they have a clean table to sign on. I get that. It seemed odd at the time but with experience you realize that is a valid question. My brother and I chafe at coffee table signings, clipboard signings or run back and forth between to low-mobility signers. Done it all.
I use a text message to confirm my signing appointments in addition to a phone call. In that text message, I include the need for a “clean, dry, and flat surface on which to sign your papers inside your home. Please arrange to meet at a library or restaurant if you cannot provide this.” You may wonder why I mentioned “inside your home”. Because I showed up at one loan signing and the woman wouldn’t let me inside, and wanted me to conduct the signing outside. I figured it out and used the trunk of my SUV, but I wasn’t happy, as it was a little windy outside and I kept chasing papers.
I’ve kindly asked folks to clean the table we are signing on. So far, no one has had a problem with my request.
We learn as we go and have different experiences.
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This is exactly why I opted for a flashlight/taser combo instead. Often times the lighting is so poor in some homes that I cannot see well enough to read. If I am uncomfortable for any reason I lay the flashlight on the table. If anyone comes within my personal space I can easily grab the flashlight and taze my way out of the situation. I actually do use it to read documents and IDs when needed.
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I always let my signers know upfront that I’m cautious, so I ask that all pets be put away before I arrive. Everyone is usually very accommodating. Occasionally, a pet may get loose, and I’ll hear, “Don’t worry, they’re friendly.” My response is always the same—they’re friendly to you, but they don’t know me.
I’ve also been in homes that aren’t perfectly tidy. If the furniture is messy, I usually just stand. And I often hear, “I just got busy—my house isn’t usually like this.” No judgment—life happens.
That said, I did hear a story about bed bugs recently, and I’ll admit… that’s my one real fear.
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Please don’t take this the wrong way, as this may not apply to you, but might apply to others. I don’t know what state you are in, but in Oregon, notaries are required to complete the notarization in the presence of the signer, including the signature and stamp. I carry clipboards for these situations.
Also please ignore if not applicable to you, but in Oregon, it is illegal for notaries to alter or deface their notary stamp. This includes lining through a bad seal. The SOS here states to leave the bad stamp as-is, and stamp again. If there isn’t room for that, we are advised to line through the notary block only (leaving the stamp untouched), and print “See attached notarial certificate” on that page. Then attach a loose state approved loose certificate.
On another note along the same lines of legality, in Oregon, we are not allowed to notarize our own signature. You may have seen those docs where the Title or Lender have a form to print your notary information (Name, address, commission number, E&O info, commission expiration date, et) and then you sign it. Often they have a place for you to put your stamp. Since they are effectively asking you to notarize your own signature, I just put a big “X” through that area, and print “Not Legal In Oregon” and initial. I have done this hundreds of times with absolutely no push-back.
I often have the same issue with pets. Dogs that jump up on you and cats that walk all over the signing table when trying to get everything signed. I tell the signers that I am allergic to dogs (or cats) and they always put them in another room with no hard feelings.
That being said, I also carry dog treats for those occasions when the dogs are well trained. lol
It is also practice in California to complete all notarizations in front of the signer but it is not always possible. The other day my seal melted! The stamp part of it became loose. I had to complete the document once I found a shoe repair place who affixed it again for me. I’ve decided where there is no room for a seal to use the term ‘Please see attached.’ with my initials and attach a loose certificate. This is the same for non-compliant Jurats. We have to use specific wording in our state so those Jurats must be swapped out. I don’t miss those for any properties located in California, for properties located out of state, those are probably what is used in those states. Not all notarized certificates are recorded either, they are in the file for the protection of the Lender. In order to sleep soundly it is better to swap even those documents out. Thank you for the insight to leave a stamp and cross out the certificate, I have left a lined through bad seal less than three times in my career, preferring to swap out the certificate instead. I don’t recall any mention of what to do with a bad seal in the NNA training and I’ve passed the exam three times.
I draw the line at the clipboard. I will make them clear enough space on a table or a countertop somewhere in order to do the signing in at least a half-organized manner.
That may be true in Oregon but it’s the laws of where the notary is notarizing that apply.
I carry three stamps, three sizes. Never rely on just one stamp IMO.
That’s I good idea. I need one for smaller spaces. I have one I keep in my bag and one at the office but definitely need a small space stamp.
I have a very small one that fits on the DMV forms that have no room.