After my 400 pg refi I did learn to negotiate quickly.
Some will ignore you - but some will accept the fee if the expectations are clearly defined before accepting the assignment. Particularly same day.
Thanks for the guidance.
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I have heard a few āindependentā testimonials about LSS program. Mark does alot of testimonials with him in them as well - so at first I was skeptical - seemed staged. Then there are several notaries in the CA notary FB group that have done both LSS and Notary2Pro. I know Notary2Pro is affiliated with LoanStars now. They provided the list I posted. But I really would like to hear āmoreā than glowing reports. They both canāt be āall goodāā¦of course results speak for themselves - if your profitability has increased I guess that is the bottomline. I was trying to get the notaries that took both programs to do a side-by-side comparison. The āgoodā to me about Notary2Pro and LSS are the program authors both have been notary signing agents in CA. I was researching NSA Blueprint as well, but I think he started off as a notary signing agent in FL. I know the principles may āseem the sameā - but I believe CA is a very unique animal when it comes to the mortgage industry, so I would like to hear from NSA program authors in the CA industry space - I believe Bill Soroka of Sign and Thrive is in AZ (but I did read his book). So I guess what I am looking for, but probably will not receive, is an Amazon review style with side-by-side comparisons of the loan signing training programs. They all are stating their ācertificationsā are so well received in the industryā¦But by who? Does that mean if Notary2Pro certification is accepted by Fidelity, LSS is not?
What would you say are some of the challenges with LSS? And if anyone out there has taken Notary2Pro or NSA Blueprint, what are some of the challenges with these programs? As stated earlier, I have only taken NNAās notary signing exam. How is LSSās exam? Notary2Pro prides themselves on graduates that achieve a 90% on their Notary2Pro exam. My challenge with that - what if I already received a 90% or above on the NNA exam. I also took the NSA exam that was being offered through my notary prep class provider and scored well on that as well (I believe NNA absorbed them due to COVID-19 - so now my APN/CSA certificate means nothing?) . And then so many signing services, like SnapDocs, want you to take theirs as wellā¦
The point being - an exam gives you the loan doc basics, but it is theory. And no signing is the same and no exam can prepare you for what occurs at a signing because it does not factor in COVID-19 PPE, time to negotiate, the environment, kids, pets, temperature, parking (or lack thereof), a borrowerās surprise at the content of the docs, and on and on and onā¦
So, with that being said - did LSS prepare you for ārealityā?
It could be that this business is just not right for you. It is not right for everyone. There are challenges but you have to have the right mindset as a business owner and trying to grow your business. The LSS is backed by the National Notary Association and is offering us a discount to join. Mark teaches you how to deal with all of the challenges in the business and how to be more effective. It sounds like you could be looking for a reason not to do this or maybe someone else is questioning you in all these points. And whether you take one of the programs you still need to be certified with the NNA with a background check to get the business. It took me several months to be convinced and it was well worth the money since it paid for itself my first month of business after joining.
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I kind of agree with KarenAce576, except my thought was youāre really reading too much into thisā¦find a good, comprehensive training program and go with it; now that said, youāve already said youāre getting fees that some only dream of - and if you maintain that standard you should be fine - I canāt imagine youāre being given those fees without having some clue as to what youāre doing.
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I disagree. I think research is required before purchasing āanythingā over $100. I know people state they donāt want the notary signing agent education process to become like selecting a collegeā¦but in a way it is like that. These people are going to educate you for your career. They are not even credentialed educators from what I can determine. I think there should be unbiased third party reviews and a comprehensive comparison. No one wants to waste time and money. I am not saying these program authors are not qualified, or goodā¦I am just saying how are notary agents to make their best selections if we are not given neutral in depth information before we dive in. What will be my return on investment (EVERY business owner should want to know that) and Will I get what I paid for? We get more information from Amazon on what printer we should purchaseā¦why is it wrong to ask that for a purchase on NSA training and credentialing?
Possibly I am not asking the question correctly. If you want mentoring/coachingā¦go for itā¦spend whatever you feel is necessary to achieve your lifeās goal/mission/purpose. But, from what I understand (and please correct me if I am incorrect), based on the NSA page of NNA: ā the industry asks for CFPB compliant credentialsā for NSAs. Which programs are just coaching/mentoring, which programs provide CFPB compliant credentialing, which programs do both? A lot of people have stated NNA certification isnāt āitā. Why or why not? What makes LSS, Notary2Pro, APN&CSA, or NSA Blueprintās certification more or less CFPB compliant?
I have an NNA and APN&CSA certificate. Is that certification compliant for the industry? What independent/unbiased entity would review to know and who would publish those findings? And where?
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Where is NNA giving us a discount to train with LSS? That could help a decision (lol). True, being a business owner is not for everyone, even being an independent contractor is not for everyone. That is why I believe investing in the education part is crucial. It can make or break a decision and career journey. Maybe you āareā meant for this business and the wrong training program misdirects and misguides and derails and you lose: 1) money and/or 2) time which is not replaceable. Again, I obviously have taken ātrainingā. I took the NNAās and APN&CSAs AND I read āSign and Thriveā. I went out, applied those principles and did get assignments and did get paid for those assignments. But none of those certification options were $250 and over. I do value individuals in the industry who have succeeded. But, are they qualified to āteachā others and charge for their advice/secrets for over $250 is where there should be some independent, unbiased review. I think ANYONE in this business would invest in the āreal dealā. We just want to know what that is. I would think the program authors would want these independent assessments and comparisons also. If they are āitā they get an incredible reputation for leading/mentoring/teaching others and being a guru in the industry, they get the satisfaction of helping others succeed, they will help sustain the notary signing agent vocation, they will provide quality notary signing agents to the key players in the industry AND they will attract future students. Notary Cafe and notary123.com have a ābestā and āworstā for signing servicesā¦why is it so wrong to want to know that about notary signing agent training programs? No one wants to be scammed ( and I am not making that judgment on any of the existing programsā¦I am saying why doesnāt anyone feel the responsibility to help notary signing agents avoid being scammed in their NSA training?).
The discount is with joining the National Notary Association if you are not a member already. Not a discount with LSS. You can always call the owner Mark Wills direct and talk to him and tell him your concerns. He is very nice and always returns calls. It took me a bit to be convinced but he also lets you make monthly payments over 6 months instead of all at once. There are some agents who just got their certificate for making 30k per month with only being in the business a few years. Of course thatās full time top producer but once you join all you see are amazing stories of inspiration, support and peoples lifeās being changed. You donāt have to have a special certification or college education to be an escrow officer and make a lot of money. If you are making what you want to make and meeting all your goals then maybe you donāt need it. Are you continuing to make a good income?
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I am a NNA member. If you can get discounted supplies from NNA, they are great. Also the exam and background check. I did see that LSS does have email, chat, phone availability for questions and it seems Mr. Wills does that Q&A webinar once a week or so. I know it is not required, but he does have a degreeā¦so, he has elevated his life experience and committed to a universally recognized credential out side of being a notary signing agent. I do have to make an observation in support of his energy. As you stated, you were initially skeptical as well. There are a few unstaged reviews of his system on YouTube and they all seem to be positive. You also have to think, he can fill a conference. He most likely has not staged the attendance at those conferences. These attendees have to had āsomeā level of success to pay a conference fee, transportation, accommodation and then commit their personal time. I hear they almost always sell outā¦and I saw the video he did for the NNAās 2020 conference (of course there were numerous good speakers at that virtual conference). To be invited to educate under the umbrella of NNA does speak to a level of credibility. I still like to research, and he does have various pricing tiers and payment plansā¦we shall see. How is your success?
Iām a newbie 
and just recently I subscribed to Notary Cafe, and Iām glad I did 
Iāve been reading and learning, and I see how active and helpful you are, LindaH and Arit
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I am a new notary myself. I completely understand where youāre coming from. I like to have as much information I can before committing to investing in something like these courses. Sometimes I get analysis paralysis, but I never regret my decisions once Iāve gotten all the information I can. Iāve often regretted them when I invested without said information. That being said did you find the NNA certification exam to be difficult?
I was an escrow officer over 20 years and a Realtor for 6. I worked for Major Title Companies and was also an Escrow manager. I first became a notary working in banks about 1980 so thatās how long I have been around this financial and real estate world.
I thought with all my training, being NNA certified and the experience I had that it would be easy to get business. Not much was happening until I went through the course with Mark Wills and figured out all the different signing Companies, how to get direct business and the many tools he taught that I was not aware of. We have our own Facebook group that offers support and questions to its members and really encourage new people and gives awards for achievements of making so much per month like 2k club, 5k, 10k, 15k, 20k etc. And there are many people who have earned trophies in lots of categories. He does not put other Companies down and encourages everyone to succeed.