I’ve been a notary and loan signing agent for exactly 2 weeks…
I don’t know where to begin to bring in jobs. I placed magnets on my car , got some nice business cards and have looked into plenty of companies for loan signings. Currently waiting for my bond to come back in the mail so I can sign up for these companies but I don’t know which companies are good to join or not.
However because I have NO EXPERIENCE. I don’t know how to really get my first job without spending a fortune doing it. My previous career had nothing to do with this field so my resume is pretty empty.
Did a bit of research on you before I responded and found you in several places…not a stalker but you’ll see why - see #1 below:
Complete your profiles everywhere you’ve listed - and make sure you proof read for spelling and grammar before publishing it…also, never ever admit in your profile you’re “brand new”. That will make companies immediately turn away from you. Also, make a strong profile that convinces folks they should hire YOU and not the other people on the lists…
Not sure where you got certified, but if you have no prior experience with loan docs you’ll need to make sure you have a good program backing you up.
Honestly? Roger Rill is my hero with this statement he made once - and I’ll never forget it. Before you can be a good loan signing agent you need to be an outstanding notary. You are helping people with possibly one of the biggest transactions of their lives - there’s no room for notary error. You need to know your notary laws, practices and procedures cold - especially in your grand state of CA!!
Now, as to #3 - get your name out locally to banks, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health agencies and the like…do general notary work and get yourself settled with being a notary; sign up with as many sites as you can and push your notary commission and skills (I hear CA may be raising their allowed fee to $15/signature…nice!) - put business cards up in any business that has a public listing board (our local pizza place has one and I keep it stocked).
Don’t give up your day job for this until you have an established client base and can sustain yourself and your business - and that can take up to 2 years to get set up.
Market Market Market. And when you’re done? Start all over again.
you might get training from NotarytoPro, Carol’s basic course is very detailed in what you need to know, plus she,gives you a iist of,companies to sign up with, to get you started… I list with several listing services and this is a must have site (Notary Cafe)…if you can sign with at least 5 a day to start with and keep,going…I am with 68 companies and have many more calling me on a regular basis… after 5 yrs of doing this, when things slow down, I still sign with more companies Good Luck
I am certified through Notary2Pro and it is a great program. Upon graduation she walks you through the next steps. Still within my first month of being a signing agent and I’ve already had a few signings. She is there for you every step of the way.
I noticed that my name and company name (Notary2Pro) were mentioned here and I wanted to respond to you personally.
The first thing you need to be aware of is how much trouble you can get into if you try to do this job without knowing what you are doing. Get some good training. Check it out, do your homework and just be sure, no matter where you go, that you arm yourself with the knowledge it takes to keep you out of trouble. Always remember that you are helping people with the most important financial events in their lives and you owe them the best of what you have to give.
Regarding the companies to sign up with, join Notary Rotary. They have an ongoing list of signing services which have been rated by notaries. Read the comments there and you will get a pretty good idea as to which companies are good and which are not.
Linda H gave some excellent advice! Pay close attention to everything she has to say.
Good Luck, this is a fun job and can be lucrative if you do it right. Know what it costs you to do this job and always make sure that your fees are sufficient to make money. Do NOT work for free!!
Your best bet would be to make sure you’re a member of the National Notary Association, first and foremost. Almost all signing, and title companies go to their list when trying to find a signing agent, and they will call you. You don’t need a resume, just your credentials. My advice to you though, is to make sure you have all your credentials in place before you do. If they call you, and you don’t have your credentials, they won’t take kindly to it, and probably won’t call you again, unless they "have"to. In that case, you’re now a patsy to them, and they know it. My second offer if advice is to sit down and find your worth. Start with a base fee, then add on for expenses, mileage, etc., and develop these fees with the most extreme circumstances built in. Once you quote these companies, they have no sympathy for any extraordinary circumstances that might develop. And they will not increase your fee accordingly. The only time they’ll pay you more, is if the extraordinary circumstance, is that you are bailing them out of a tight spot, or extending yourself for them, to save their loan. If they call you, and want you to do the job for less, ask yourself how much less you are willing to accept, based on true circumstances. Never reduce your fee because they tell you they’re only getting paid “x” dollars for the job. They’re lying to you. I only reduce the fee if there will be no printing of edocs, or package smaller than 50 pages. Reverse mortgages, and large document packages have to be equated into the original fee you charge, because like I told you before, they will not pay you if it turns out the package was larger than you expected, or that it took a lot longer to closer the loan due to the size of the package. They do not care! Respect your profession, and know your worth, and the work will come to you. Once you’re a member of the NNA you will go to signingagent.com and start marketing yourself using your credentials. I wish you all the best! Welcome to the profession.
