@slknotary2022 FYI: This post was created by @Arichter 
(credit where credit is due), who participated in & received access to the survey results. HELPFUL! 
Thanks again, Arichter for ALL you do (day in & day out ) for the Notary Café members. You’re the Best ! 
FWIW: The survey was part of their newsletter. No expense involved to view results…
The survey was done on a volunteer basis so results are not accurate. However, there were a lot of volunteers which does tend to add to the accuracy. I did take the survey and wasn’t very impressed by their methodology. Nevertheless, it is the first time this has been done by anyone so should serve as a ‘reality check’.
Arichter is the Grandma Moses of us Notes
I double my volume from 2020 to 2021. Don’t be impressed, as 2020 in my region was negligible as far as volume. Doubling my volume was getting back to what should be closer to normalcy.
I had a newbie for my refinance last in July 2020 and the signing company he was working with was only paying him $35.00
for a 160x2 pages document. Besides that they had him running from county to county.
I made more than that in 2007 when I did signings and the Title company provided the docs.
Signings have slowed down considerably here. Plus they are super low balling us. I only work with a few anymore that do pay $100+
Seems we’re fine with the refinance craze. I’m only seeing Buyers, sellers and reverse mortgages.
I wouldn’t proceed with this signing agent if I found out they were incompetent enough to accept a low ball fee like that.
He did a great job. I schooled him… He called me back a month later and had left working for that company and was making 3-4x as much for his work. Just not fair!!!
I just got onboard with a new title co. I called to ask about their notification process and I felt ill when she told me that in the areas I cover, majority of signings went to this one notary for $75 total fee. I asked about their average docs size. They require two sets always! Some docs will have around 200 pages.
I don’t understand why anyone would print 2 sets+ prep time+ drive time+signing time+drop off time for $75! Why? Why? Why? Please tell me why.
Because…they’ve bought into the 6 figure hot mess or believe if they hit a variable ‘certain’ number of signings, they’ll automagically (not a typo) be offered the fees you get or probably are going broke paying for all the stuff needed and really need to see some $ or haven’t bothered to figure out their costs so don’t realize at $75, they’re paying to work.
Any, all or a combo are the ‘why’.
That’s a good observation, would you say that Mark Wills is a little misleading?
I’m glad they let me keep my fees though but I am certain that I will never get any signing from this new co unless I remind my lenders, loan officers and escrow officers to assign orders directly to me.
Because notaries haven’t been trained in business101 so the industry takes full advantage of it. Newbies have been brainwashed to believe the sales pitch in their training without doing the math.
Gas prices skyrocketed. The agencies are taking more money from the notary fee than they should. It’s going to be plunging this year. At least back in 2008 things collapsed to survivable circumstances. Not so this time. Many notary businesses will get out of it before they lose anymore money.
I’m seeing a giant storm over the horizon. Not looking good. Pre-foreclosures and in-foreclosures increasing, Canada is now Castro Country. 
. Thank God, we have a place to hide in the mountains when $&@# hits the fan.
That Notary that is accepting that fee when they or if they run a profit and loss report will soon see they are working for free. SMDH!
My Refi was handled by a newbie and it was her first closing. She was nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
After explaining that I to was an NSA, I able to walk her through the process so she’d have more confidence on her next one. I also explained to her that the $60 fee she accepted didn’t cover her cost. I hope my advice was taken to heart as she’s a single mom trying to earn some extra cash.
What can I say, being a single dad I have a soft spot for single parents trying to keep it together.
Sorry I laughed out loud about “nervous as a long tailed cat” 
I’m glad you helped her with the closing process and advised her on the fee.
She got the mentoring and the coaching that she needed first hand… awwww… you are awesome
Thank you for the compliment. I don’t consider myself awesome. I was more concerned about her getting the closing done right.
She has since contacted after the fact raising concerns about her training. She indicated that it was in adequate which motivated me to ask my fellow notaries about who credentials the trainers.
I’m pleased to report the freshly minted NSA who handled my Refi, called and said thanks for my ‘coaching’. She said she felt much more confident on the next several closings. I let her know not to get too confident as this is when mistakes start to happen. I learned this the hard way.
Her success is my reward.
You were so nice to help her on that day. God bless you. May you have a safe and prosperous 2022!
