are you an attorney or just practicing law?
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Well said. Can’t explain it any clearer. You CAN NOT be penalized for not adding something the docs did not ask for. You CAN be penalized for not providing what the docs DID asked for. It is NOT a good habit to “add” anything (especially dates) to a document. For the new SA’s out there… If you screw up documents, 99% of the time they will not call you and tell you about it. They (most of the time) won’t even hit you with a deduction. They will simply pay you, send out another agent to clean up after you, and never call you again. So in this case, DO NOT take “no news” as good news if you have been “volunteering” information on someone elses documents!
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NO some docs should never be dated. That I don’t mess with cause it could cause problems. NOTE is not dated.
There are new instructions on some packs asking for payoffs and subrogation get acknowledged by signers. Recently amortization schedules no longer ask for sig so I write acknowledged and place an x and a line.
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Sorry, I disagree NN. If no date, that means no date. Do not add or cross out anything on the documents unless you are told by the LO. If you make a mistake, don’ t stress too much. Try to fix it. Keep calm and check your work before you leave. Wish you all the best.
I like what you said so I thought this would be a good jumping in point for my story!
Trial by Fire
I started my company The Signing Resource in January 2024. My first loan purchase experience as a loan signing agent was through networking. I received the assignment in July 2024. I’ve signed up with couple of platforms and I’ve only received a small amount of real estate work and no loan work. The ones I received have been out of state seller loan documents. The platforms have also produced some specialty work for me as well. The rest of my work is through networking. Basically, I tell as many people as possible that I’m a mobile notary. I also joined a networking club. In addition to that, twenty years ago, my wife and I purchased a home, and I’ve kept in touch with our mortgage originator during that time. This very valuable mortgage originator put me in touch with a RE agent. Their office is 80 miles from my home in S Cal.
Here comes the trial by fire.
In the past, the RE agent was a sales manager. I assume by their upcoming actions they exhibited during the day, that they knew all the interviewing techniques and sales closing tricks to make someone cave into something they didn’t want to say or do just to weed them out, so I was going to treat this like a live interview. They called me the night before and dangled an opportunity to perform the signing and mentioned that they would be there too, great!! The RE agent knew all the tricks to test my willingness. If they were going to stake their reputation on me, a newbie, they were going to pull out all the stops! So, they fibbed to the escrow company a bit about my experience, and they told the escrow company they would like to request me to perform the signing. Folks, RE agents can be a great conduit to your notary business, not just the escrow companies!
Trial by fire begins!!
10 am, the RE agent calls and tells me it’s a go! I will get the docs to print. I have until 2pm to drive 80 miles in LA traffic on a Wednesday, gps says 1 ½ hours or so. I receive docs, print two copies and leave. I had no time to review them before leaving my home, no stickers. This being my very first experience, I wanted to do everything right, after all I got to the appointment an hour early. I should have reviewed and stickered. I was meeting at the RE building and was given an office to use. Instead, my RE agent wanted to go to lunch and I went.
Here is where I learned from my mistakes:
Again, I should have stayed in the office and did my prep before the client arrival, period. I would not have offended my friend if I stayed behind. This is where the “sales mgr” in my RE friend kicks in. I was a Corporate Recruiter that assisted in the hiring of candidates for fortune 500 companies. So, I know every sales trick and interviewing trick. Sales closing verbiage and interviewing techniques are very much the same. I believe this person was testing me. Back to the call the night before and continuing to the 10 am call, they used the “take away” technique at least six times. Google it. They said things like you really don’t have to do this, it’s so far for you, do you really want to do this? I almost caved once. This is a direct, no platform, full-fee, $250 to my company and as a bonus, I earned a signing towards the almighty FNF approval rating of 20 signings!
Trial by fire continues:
Going to lunch, we walked in what seemed like an eternity across a vast parking lot in 104-degree heat, to a place where we ended wasting 15 minutes with no service. We took another sweltering walk back the way we came and added another few 100 steps to our destination, to a taco restaurant. Time is evading us. At the time, I didn’t realize I was making mistakes and at the time I didn’t know I was being tested, and boy was I, and I was just so happy to be there! However, that excitement caused me to let my guard down.
Here comes the next test.
When we started ordering, the waitress overhears my RE agent say to me, not the waitress, that we should order a flight of tequila shots. The waitress brings a flight of tequila shots and I’m thinking knock yourself out, I don’t drink! I don’t think it was an accident, again they may have been testing my resolve. We finished lunch and walked back to the office, it’s now 106 and 2pm but it’s dry heat, lol!
As we approach the office, the signers are walking in. Not a good thing, at least in my eyes. I should have been sitting there with the docs prepped. This first purchase signing took about two hours. Had I prepped, it would have been half of that. Anyway, as of this writing, it’s been four days, no problems so far. Even though I believe I made this dance a bit awkward at times, my RE friend said their client, the signers thought everything went well. I have to say, it was a better learning experience having to perform under real pressure without the stickers and other prep work. On the way home in rush hour traffic, my check engine light came on. This has never happened before, but of course, trial by fire baby, build the plane while flying it!
The journal:
I’m in California and it’s a lot of work! I could get into that in a later writing if anybody wants to hear about it. I’ve created a way that makes it a little easier for the client to enter repetitive information or thumb prints for my journal and it conforms to the NNA and SOC.
My first purchase loan is under my belt now, and I’m 100% confident that if I can perform that signing, I can do any signing! kk peace!!