Three weeks ago I was doing 2-3 signings a week. Last week it dipped to 1 and so far this week 0. Even the text blast have dwindled down to just a few, with most of those being ridiculous offers. You guys seeing the same in your area?
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Yup…it just keeps getting slower & slower. Refis are nearly non-existent and the Spring Seller surge is pretty much oooover.
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i am in rural Eastern Washington State. I’ve been steady all year averaging 2 a day and taking weekends off. But I also cover a gigantic area and log a TON of miles. The local assignments get grabbed at fees I counter and the distance jobs don’t get taken. So I guess my niche has become going where no one will. Not perfect and ideal but I’m doing about 30 a month.
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You’re fortunate. In East Tennessee where I am at there are plenty of notaries and not near enough consistent work. What is available, is so ridiculously low priced that you risk losing money taking it. I had 1 request for a signing today for a 2 seller package with a roundtrip of 126 miles (3 hour drive, in the mountains) for $60.
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I had to take off a month and half since my dad passed away and my mom needed me in TN to help her get through a mess that she was left with. Before I left, I was taking no less than a job a day. Now I have 1 job in 2 weeks and I am the mobile notary that will drive long distances since I have a hybrid vehicle. I am also noticing the lower fees again. Praying it picks up for all of us and we are offered our worth.
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Hi I’m in Western Washington. Lot of people moving from Western to Eastern Washington and out of state ~ lately popular places moving out of state are AZ, AR, TX, CO and UT. I continue to reside by Mt. Rainier and in for the long haul. 
PS ~ sticking with my standard fees and not taking low ball offers. Not as busy as usual but ok.
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my condolences for your loss
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My prayers and condolences to you and your family 
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There are peak and low business cycles in every industry, and loan signings are no exception. I received several notifications for loan signings, but I only took one. Currently most signing orders offers that I received, the fees were too low to be profitable. That’s why I do not to rely so heavily on loan signings for my income. I’m going to go one step further here, which is a thought that seems simple enough on the surface but is actually quite important to understand. As entrepreneurs, we can’t sit or wait for things to happen; we must be proactive to make money. I have shifted my business strategy, where loan signings are 10% of my business revenue.
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I cover a large territory on the East Coast of Florida, between Orlando and Palm Beach. The number of signings has dropped significantly, but that correlates with a report from our local real estate agent’s trade group that shows home sales for all categories of residence have dropped 40%. Condos are the worst with a 63% drop, followed by townhomes. What offers come across my desk are ridiculously low, such as a reverse mortgage with a power of attorney added (447 pages total) for $50.00. This assignment had a 1 hour drive each way and required 2 sets of signed documents returned and one blank set left behind for the client.
I am currently marketing myself for the general notary work (and doing well), as several banks have stopped offering notary services or have restricted their employees as to what they can notarize to simple documents. Many banks have stopped allowing wills, POA’s, trusts or other complicated documents from being done by their branches.
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Banks in this area still notarize just about anything, so GNW is harder to come by. I had a couple good paying GNW jobs last week that helped. Business diversification is necessary for survival in my area. Hopefully interest rates will start to drop and we will see an increase in refi’s and purchases. As @cfletcher mentioned, loan signing can’t be a main source of income for our businesses.
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Arw they paying u a decent fee. 2hours each way to me is $200. Plus sign time and drop ..not including print and prep..my fee is easily $250-275. Minimum
If i even took it in the first place
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I wouldnt bother taking that job ..imo not worth my time
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If ur happy doung that work and you are covering all the expenses ..good for you.
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No, those you just laugh and move on. I’m not a non-profit, I am in business to make money.
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I didn’t take that offer. Like you, I am not a charity.
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My area is so overrun with new notaries. It seems that out of every 5 people, one is a notary. And signing offers are low because most people are receiving their own documents & getting the free library notary for the service. My area the libraries and peoples banks are doing free Notarizations. And any loan closing that does come in are paying $30 to $60 dollars. Nope, I make more money being a stationary notary at my own business office. From the years 2000 to to 2014 I was making 150 to 200 per loan closing, then 2015 to 2023 I was making 150 up to 350 per closing. 2024 and 2025 they try paying 30, 50, 60 and sometimes 100. I’m too old to be ripped off. Bankserve and Amrock are the great ones who pay good, or my local title companies.
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Sorry for your loss, my prayers are with you and your family
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Yes very slow right now.
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