You’re absolutely right, and I completely agree with your frustration.
The notary signing agent role has become increasingly undervalued over the years, even though the responsibilities and workload have only grown. We’re now expected to handle tasks that used to fall under the purview of title or escrow officers prepping docs, printing massive packages, scanning, uploading, and filling out online portals and not to mention the 2nd trip to drop documents off. all while fees have either stagnated or decreased.
An $85 signing fee in 2025 is not just outdated, it’s insulting. With inflation, fuel, printing costs, and administrative time factored in, these offers are unsustainable and disrespectful to experienced professionals. That $65 offer for a cross-bridge signing in the Bay Area is a perfect example of how detached some companies are from the real costs and logistics we face.
The industry has shifted to prioritize profit margins for agencies and platforms, often at the expense of the people actually doing the work. Without notaries, the entire loan signing process would collapse. Yet we’re treated as disposable rather than as essential.
It’s time we push back collectively and advocate for fair compensation. The work we do is skilled, detailed, and highly sensitive—it’s worth more, and we need to stop accepting fees that don’t reflect our value.
Good for you and your business. I understand your NEED to discuss your finances. Now that you got that off your chest you can carryon. Keep up with YOUR business model.
What you are saying is true. Even in the eyes of a newbie. It was interesting how that the notary becomes responsible for the documents being wrong. So the notary becomes a free check for the company hiring them. I experienced this on my first assignment.
Sopmebody takes those $35 jobs. Let 'em, You’ll do better holding out for what you believe is fair and profitable. Take the junk jobs to fill time or make lunch money. Don’t even think about the rest of 'em.
My fee is by location. It includes a print job under 150 pages. I don’t reduce a fee for fewer pages. If a package goes over 150 pages i ask for a print bump. Some orders from some companies I already know are gigantic and I increase my counter offer and state “includes printing”. Lately I’ve been doing some HELOC that are under 25 pages. Those are great.
Yes, people are taking the $35 jobs. If they would stop taking them the companies would have to raise the price a bit. I guess there are hard up people out there.
@Admin1Concur percent! Providing Professional Services & losing money while doing it - certainly isn’t sustainable.
It’s VITAL to the success of the entrepreneurial venture to ensure that the professional services provided are at a Fee that will support all of your expenses & TIME as well!
I don’t think that’s a fair assumption. A job offered at $35 and countered at $100 that a notary doesn’t get doesn’t mean someone took it at $35. I could mean someone countered for less and faster than the notary who asked for $100. Starting low is just a strategy for paying as little as possible. And everyone is trying to increase profits not just notaries.
I am getting more distance offers than ever before. That just tells me fewer notaries are doing them. Some have been re-signs because the first notary would not go fix their work at their own cost. Which is a parameter of every job. But I am being told more often that an original notary refused to correct their work. That’s the thing about long distance jobs. Get it right or don’t take them. I know of no area notaries doing the $35 jobs. Unless they are brand new and think working at a loss of income is getting made up by gaining experience. Which it doesn’t. The best defense against the low offers is to have offers coming from as many sources as possible. That’s what I think anyway.
These lowball deals are multi-facted. I see it this way: If I can make even a little profit on a lowball signing, I’ll take it if I don’t have anything going at that time. I’ve figured out what my margin has to be to make it worthwhile. Most of the time, I don’t take 'em and I let my competetion have at 'em. If they can make a profit, so be it. What do I care. It keeps them busy and frees me up to get the better paying jobs when they come along. When I’m not taking penny-ante jobs, I am busying myself with reading notary bulletins from NNA and other notary reference material or I work on my equipment (everything from pens to printers) and prepping my Fedex sleeves so I don’t waste time on them when I’m in hurry. Pros already know this stuff; newbies - take note!
No one makes a profit doing packages for some of these low offers. Unless they want to make a dollar an hour. Won’t do it. If others want to do it - I’m with you - don’t care what others do.
There is hard up and then there is just bad business. I don’t know how you make a profit, never mind make enough for you business to survive off of $35. In my area the trend now is $50 for refi, reverse, seller only, and $75 for buyers, with a few of the signing services. That’s not just in my city that is 50 plus miles of driving, printing two copies, scan backs and dropping the package. After expenses that isn’t even minimum wage.
There is no “it’s $50 now for a refi”. There is only what someone will accept for a refi.
There is a very regional aspect to fees. In the rural area where i live I will go to six counties. My county is the largest in the state. Anyone taking jobs in this area for $50 are losing money hand over fist. But no one is forced to do anything at any fee. I won’t touch a reverse for less than $150.
I agree with you. Unfortunately, there are notaries in this area I am in that will take them for that fee. There is no pressure on the services to raise their fees. I have seen the fees just in the last month decrease on sellers and refis. What I got as an offer a few weeks ago for a sellers in my city has dropped by $25. If people keep taking them the services will keep doing it.
I feel your pain, I had a job that included 163 pages and of course the signer’s get a copy. Since the job was close, I accepted the signing for $75.00. I really wish on the initial offering they would include pages, etc.
No page count is one of the deceptions they use. Especially on a text blast where if you try to read through the instructions to see if you can find out any information, the signing is gone before you can finish.