Some signing agents have strict limitations on how far they’ll drive for a signing. Do you set limits that way, no matter how long the signing will actually take or what it consists of? I set limits, but they’re somewhat flexible. My basic limit is 30 miles each way. Depending on what the signing is and how much I’m getting paid, I’ve stretched that out to as far as 50 miles on occasion. I actually prefer driving time more than table time. I will gladly drive an hour each way for a 15-minute signing if the pay is good. The recent fuel price surge has encouraged me to increase my fees for distance signings, and it’s working so far.
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I cover 6 counties. Many trips are over 200 miles round trip. In this region though 90 miles can take almost two hours.
The furthest I have gone is Kettle Falls which is close to two hundred miles.
but Trout Lake is only 77 miles but because of the road it takes over two hours to get there almost three.
I charge a lot for those trips but I get my fee because no one else goes there.
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I generally prefer assignments that require no more than about 60 minutes of round‑trip travel. However, the distance I’m willing to drive also depends on the type of signing and the fee offered. In some cases, I have accepted higher‑fee signings that required up to 2.5 hours of travel. If my schedule allows and the compensation appropriately reflects the distance and time involved, I’m open to making exceptions when needed.
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I guess the key there is whether your fees make up for the additional time and auto expenses.
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Nothing is going to cover real auto expenses. Just had front end work and 2 tires almost a thousand bucks. Need brakes that will be $800.
I don’t think I should get paid huge fees to drive. I charge what I think is fair. And I have room to raise them next year. I just raised them in March.
I generally prefer to keep my travel area within a 50-mile radius, as the drive time is roughly an hour each way. However, if a signing assignment requires me to travel further than that, I adjust my fee accordingly to account for the increased time commitment and the potential opportunity cost of having to decline other, potentially available signing appointments during that same period.
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The way that I see it, time is time. Why is your driving time worth less than your time sitting at the signing table? It’s all time that takes you away from doing other things or other jobs.
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Your approach is the correct one, in my opinion. When pricing out a distance signing, you have to take into account not only the miles, but also expected traffic conditions. At certain times of the day it can take 2 or 3 times longer to drive a certain distance than at other itmes of day, when traffic is lighter.
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@steves11 Spot on! It’s a real problem that many companies fail to adequately factor in the return trip as a crucial element of the compensation package for signing agents. This is particularly concerning when we consider that, just as the IRS calculates mileage reimbursement on a one-way basis, starting from either our home or office and ending at the client’s location, the companies’ calculations often seem to mirror this single-direction approach, which doesn’t fairly represent the total time and expenses involved in providing the service.
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In this area, you have to drive to get anywhere and I stop and take a lot of pictures so I do a lot of leisure things on those drives. I don’t make any decision based on what other people think the right decision is.
It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You should do what works for “you”.
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Semi retired here and cut my work load to about 3 companies who pay quickly,and dependable for docs. I stay within 15 miles one way, and that’s on a good time when I don’t hit traffic, and no rush hours. I used to go anywhere and everywhere back in the day when I had to hustle, now I don’t have to. I enjoy it so much more, no stress and have no problems turning them down daily.
In FL, they rarely ask you to go farther than 30 miles one way, just too many of us all going for that same nut.
They don’t ask you to go any distance. They throw the job out there in cyberspace to everyone in a certain geographical area, and it’s up to you whether you want it or not. You know your local area a lot better than some scheduler across the country does.
@steves11 Totally agree! When I started as a mobile loan signing agent, a scheduler told me it’s our call to go outside our zip code. The signing fees are based on zip codes within a 30-mile radius. If they can’t find an LSA in those zip codes, they’ll go further out and price it that way. If we take the signing via text or email, we’re agreeing to the price, which is why schedulers are often not open to negotiating fees.
As long as I’m getting paid for the round-trip driving time and mileage (i.e. an appropriate travel fee in addition to the signing fee), I have driven up to 150 miles one way. I have taken several long distance jobs where I’m correcting a signing that was done incorrectly by another notary and the title company is desperate to get it re-signed. In that case, they’re usually very agreeable to pay whatever it takes to get it completed correctly.
Yes, but most apps that they use allow the ability to counteroffer. Whether it gets accepted or not usually depends on whether anyone takes the job at the offered fee.
They would have to pay me a lot to drive 150 miles one way. They usually don’t present the offer as a “correction”, but it’s not hard to figure out which ones fall into that category.
Which apps don’t allow counter offers? That’s not what I see. Title 365 is the hardest to use but you can still counter offer.
Well, you’re correct. It’s usually not presented as a correction. But, if they’re desperate, they will pay a lot was my main point. If they call me for a long-distance job I’ve already declined because of the distance, then I figure they’re willing to pay a lot more to get it done. It can be a correction. A lot of the time it also can be because a previously-assigned notary withdrew at the last minute. Either way, they’re anxious to get it done ASAP and will pay what it takes. What difference does it make to me if I drive 300 miles total for three or four jobs or I drive 300 miles for one job as long as I’m getting paid? And, in the latter case, I only have to prepare, scan and upload one package instead of three or four.
Totally agree! It’s awesome that we can each run our business how we want. If I got a 150-mile signing, I’d be straight up with them – hotel, food, AND $750. 
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