Inheritguard Experience

Notary Experiences
1

@ilisa_stillman , this is to address your post and to warn other notaries so you don’t get undercut.

At first it seemed like a good deal. They even had one of their reps call me and confirm it was “only about 20 pages.” I thought, ok… slam dunk.

I accepted a signing for a flat fee of $90. Sounds normal… until I showed up.

At the table, it turned into 16 (SIXTEEN) notarial acts with 2 witnesses — total of 4 signers. None of that was disclosed upfront before I accepted the assignment. On top of that, I was required to scan the completed documents on my phone and submit them back, which is extremely time-consuming. Total time start-to-finish was well over 1.5 hours.

For anyone in California: notarial fees are up to $15 per act (Gov. Code §8211).

16 acts × $15 = $240. I was paid $90.

Whether you charge per act or do flat-fee work, the main issue is the scope wasn’t disclosed, then a high-act signing (with witnesses) plus time-heavy scanbacks got dumped on me for a low fee.

I concur with the previous post: STAY AWAY FROM THEM.

My advice to other notaries:

Before accepting, ask in writing:

• How many notarizations/notarial acts?

• How many signers total (including witnesses)?

• Are scanbacks required? How must they be submitted?

• Any witnesses, multiple signers, special handling, etc.?

• Will there be any “surprise” documents added at the table?

2

Questions for clarification purposes: Why were witnesses required (credible witnesses, sign by mark, title or lender requirement, etc.)? Were 2 witnesses required for each signature? Were 2 witnesses required only for all notarizations? Were 2 witnesses required only for Mortgage/Deed of Trust? Was there some reason why you scanned using your phone rather than a desktop/mobile scanner?

3

REFERENCE THE PREVIOUS THREAD:

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM PREVIOUS THREAD:

  • INHERITGUARD ONBOARDING FORM - FOLLOWUP

Please carefully consider the Second Entry on Page 1 of this form. It requests your Date of Birth [DOB]. That is Non-Public Personal Information [NPPI] data.

In addition, InheritGuard requests that the completed OnBoarding Form be submitted via email (not a secure transmission process), you may want to request an alternative submission method . . .

NOTE: As the DOB is NPPI data, I won’t be providing it. There is no realistic reason to justify requesting that specific data for submission.

Also, remember to ALWAYS provide your Employer Identification Number [EIN], NOT your Social Security Number [SSN] when completing submissions of this type/kind.
  • From my perspective with a firsthand direct experience, any future SOs from this business entity definitively will be a :collision: Hard Pass :collision: due to the extended amount of time requirements, the extensive amount of notarizations, etc.

===>>> Helpful delineation of the details within the initial document package with this business entity:

  • Documents are shipped directly to the Signer(s)

  • Signer(s) have an opportunity to Review & pose Queries with the law firm prior to the Signing Appointment

  • The Professional Signing Agent [PSA] contacts the Signer(s) & a date, time, & location are determined

  • The Signing Appointment details can be altered if the Signer(s) need to do so - just REMEMBER to retain the email that provides the direct link to the scheduling calendar for this business entity

  • There are NEARLY 100 pages in the document package

  • There are 17 notarizations in ONE document package

  • Two Witnesses are required & are to be facilitated by the Signer(s)

  • Document package is filled with 4 or 5 Post-It signature flags per signature page throughout the package

  • A FULL set of SCANNED documents is to be performed On-Site at the time of the Signing Appointment & must be perfectly clear scanned copies appropriate for filing with the Court Clerk

  • All flags MUST be REMOVED prior to the scan & then REPLACED back on each document

ITEMS OF NOTE DURING THIS INITIAL APPOINTMENT:
The 2nd Witness was 40 minutes late.

TAKEAWEAYS:

Now it’s true that no printing is required for these SOs; however, the remuneration identified is ONLY $100 (a flat fee as outlined in the onboarding form).

The Fee is far too low when taking into consideration the following:

  • Time & Travel (3 hour appointment time)

  • Number of documents in the package

  • The large number of notarizations

  • Scan requirement On-Site that are perfectly clear scanned copies appropriate for filing with the Court Clerk

  • Delay in commencement due to late arrival of Witness(es)

I reached out to the Team Coordinator at that time regarding an adjustment in the Fee due to the above-noted items. She reiterated that it’s a ‘flat fee.’

:swan:

4

This is a Living Trust mill, nothing wrong with that, everybody needs a Trust. I can sympathise with the hiring company wanting a full scan from the signing table; mistakes are difficult to fix once the signing is adjourned, so the responsible party must be diligent, especially if random “signing agents” are hired. The notary fee is factored into the flat charge for the trust, so I doubt there’s room for negotiation.

5

The order was presented to me as a 22-page package requiring notarization. What I actually received was a set of extracted pages pulled from the trust/estate planning documents—not the full package as represented.

I did not challenge the two pages that only required signatures (no notarization) from the witnesses and primary signers, because they were included in the provided set and appeared to be part of the signing requirements.

Regarding scanbacks: I have a high-quality scanner at home and, in my normal workflow, I complete scanbacks from my scanner immediately after the signing. That’s the standard process I’m accustomed to after hundreds of signings.

However, right after I accepted the order, an InheritGuard representative called to reiterate instructions and specifically told me the originals had to be scanned on-site using my phone and left with the signers. That was a first for me.

Now the issue: InheritGuard contacted me yesterday saying the scans are “not acceptable” because they aren’t dark enough to submit—and they’re refusing payment unless I return to rescan.

This could have been completely avoided if I had been permitted to scan the documents properly using a real scanner, like is standard in the industry. Instead, the process required phone scans, and now the requirements are being changed after the fact—at my expense and additional time.

6

@bpastor Reference below excerpt from the post above.
  • From my perspective with a firsthand direct experience, any future SOs from this business entity definitively will be a :collision: Hard Pass :collision: due to the extended amount of time requirements, the extensive amount of notarizations, etc.

:swan:

1 Like
7

I don’t understand the idea we should get paid for every stamp. I’ve never agreed with that thinking. I quote on distance, pages, scan requirement, if approval is required. Never on how many notarization.

Because coming up I’m doing a HELOC that has 2 stamps. Because of travel, location, weather conditions I’m getting paid $160. It’s 23 pages.

If all you think about is how many times you stamp. someone would think $30 is adequate as a base fee.

No I charge as a total fee. 2 or 25 stamps. Doesn’t matter to me.

8

@bpastor :white_check_mark: Agree with you :100: percent for my above-noted points from first-hand direct experience with this business entity.

===>>> The Fee is a mismatch for the Scope & Breadth of the Signing Order.

:swan:

9

I’m on a private list of suggested notaries circulated among trust and estate attorneys in my region. I don’t spin each document across the table and explain what the document is to the signers, that would be an unauthorized practice of law. How do I determine my fee? There’s 14 notarizations in a living trust, I charge by the signature, that’s how I determined base fee.

10

I hear you. Pricing strictly by stamp count can miss the bigger picture — travel, location, weather, scanbacks, pages, scheduling, and overall complexity are what really determine the workload and liability.

$160 for a 23-page HELOC with 2 notarial acts sounds fair, especially when travel and conditions are part of the equation. A flat “base fee” mentality ignores what we’re actually doing out in the field.

And respectfully — if the number of notarial acts truly “doesn’t matter,” that tells me you either have a ton of time on your hands… or you’ve built your pricing so solid that you’re getting paid enough either way. Most of us don’t have the luxury to treat 2 vs. 25 as the same thing.

End of the day, our time and responsibility have value, and notaries shouldn’t be pressured into rates that don’t reflect the full scope of the assignment.

11

A ton of time on my hands? As a full-time mobile notary? Not sure how you figure that.

But sweeping statements about how other people do their job and determine their fees doesn’t really matter to me. Respectfully and all that.

12

@bpastor and @johnsonps306 let’s keep in mind here you’re comparing apples and oranges here. Quoting a fee for GNW (which was the concept of the original post) and quoting a fee for a loan signing are two separate animals. When quoting GNW fees, per signature/notarization is always the base; in loan signings, the fee quoted is usually a flat fee for all services rendered.

13

@bpastor, Following my review of the various fee methodologies shared by other forum members, I’ve come to the realization that the most appropriate approach to setting fees is a deeply personal one, largely influenced by an individual’s unique beliefs and values regarding fair compensation for services rendered. For general notary, I will implemented a fee structure that adheres to the following principles: I will charge the officially mandated Florida state statute fees for each individual notarial act performed, and in addition to that, I will also include a reasonable and justifiable rate for any other supplementary services that are not specifically regulated by the state of Florida. These supplementary services may encompass, but are not limited to, administrative tasks, associated logistical costs, and, where applicable, incurred travel expenses.