For anyone who has experience with doing signings for new builds, could you share your experience? Is there any difference in paperwork? Also, how/what can we do to get business from home builders? I asked a local sales person for a new condo complex being built in my area and she gave me the title company they use. Is that the only way to get this kind of business? Thank you!
The escrow coordinator/manager at the builder has a TON of pull-they are in constant contact with title, and title will do whatever they say. Getting to that person is VERY difficult though, and I know this because I was one. :). Even with heavy industry experience I’m having such a difficult time getting in, so I’ve been taking the route of getting the sales person to “like” me. They also have constant contact with title and can absolutely request that you be used. The main thing the title company wants is for you to be Fidelity Approved, and you’ll need to be super-and I mean super-easy to work with. Like, drop everything and jump. I know this because I was an escrow officer for one of the largest builders in CA too. As far as the paperwork, often the builders have a preferred lender that many buyers use and there really is nothing different about the process from any other purchase. But if you get in, expect to see the same loan docs over and over which is pretty cool for us as notaries.
I’ve only recently decided to do the same thing you are-and am killing myself! Even with a great reputation I’m not getting anywhere and would love to hear from others who are managing to do so in areas where notaries are a dime a dozen??? What approaches are you taking and what is working? What hasn’t worked??
By the way you are a pretty smart cookie to be thinking along these lines, refi has slowed down a bit so we need to be thinking about which direction to take our business next!!!
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Thanks for your response! Does the builders escrow manager work at the sales site? I’m assuming no but where would I find them to market to them? I am fidelity approved so that’s good! I see so many homes being built around me and I think, they are all going to need a notary!
What’s your process to getting the sales person to like you? Same thing you’d do with EOs? Treats every so often and dropping by to say hi.
Ugh. To get to the escrow manager, you need to get through the receptionist at the corporate office. Google the name of the builder to get that info but they rarely will take your call and are usually pretty irritated if you do get them…they are usually the Best of the Best in the escrow industry…it’s a coveted and terribly high stress job. Yuck. I hated it and quit after a year.
Well, as I said I’ve only recently decided to do this and I’ve started stopping into the sales office to “say hi!” But what I’d like to do is have a good reason to do so-that won’t cost me a lot, like chocolate covered strawberries, lol-and will provide them with something useful and memorable. So that they look forward to my visit, you know? But I’m stumped!! I was hoping you knew something, LOL!!!
Sounds like a battle to get their business, but I’m sure it will be worth it. All I know is, ALWAYS BRING TREATS hahah what about pricing? If you remember when you were an EO for a builder, do they typically pay the same as a regular title company? Also, if I find out any other tips, I will definitely share it with you!
i’m sorry, I’m not sure if you meant pay for The notary or if you were referring to salary. If you were referring to the notary, title Determines how much they are paying. I thought about doing some kind of special pricing plan for the builders, but truth be told the escrow officer is not worried about a $50 reduction Notary fee in the big scheme of things. It’s actually about the last thing that they are thinking about. it’s not enough for them to look for the business card that you dropped off, if you know what I mean. If you mean pay as in salary, escrow managers make great money but I didn’t get paid nearly as much as I did as an escrow officer. The reason the job is so coveted is because they are considered to be much more stable than an escrow officer. Case in point, in 2009 I went to work in the morning and the doors were locked. As in, Out of business. 35 of us were standing around looking at each other. Scary.