Notaries, you are more important than you think.
I feel bad to see notaries are still doing loan closing so low. Just say no! 
Please stop it.
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I am new to the business! Inquiring minds want to knowā¦ One of the biggest complaints that I have seen is the price that is being paid to notaries for loan closings. I have not done a loan closing, however, isnāt the notary loan closing fee charged to the customer by the lender?
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Normally, notary service fee is paid by customer but some title companies donāt charge their client notary service fee as a courtesy but Iām sure they make their money over charging on other items.
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My personal opinion - We were getting paid decent fees until COVID hit and the new notaries showed up. The new notaries were taking any offer put out there and now the TI and SS are accustomed to the low ball fees. Where are those notaries now? No where to be found. So blame them. Either accept what is on the board or move on
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Donāt know if this is an anomaly or sign of the times, but I have only the 2nd Refi of the year from an SS Iāve worked with randomly for years, but not in the last 2 1/2 years. The CALL began with āAre you still doing signingsā¦ā Yep, and got my norrmal/not cheap feeāno problem.
So maybe a lot of notaries have moved on to greener jobs and so SS has to pay a reasonable amount? If youāre a newbātake note. Donāt work for chump change.
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I am very new. Only had mine for about 2 months and have not received even one signing yet.
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When you receive a text about availability and thereās no room for negotiation what is the best avenue? Try to get the assignment then negotiate the price? Is that ethical? Just asking. I donāt want to lowball anyone but when experience is key, you have to accept the assignments. No win situation. Appreciate the help!
Far as I know, thereās always room for negotiation. There is 1 co. who does the ātake it or leave itā approach. And even then, they come back higher if no taker. I think itās kinda frowned upon and youāll get dinged for accepting & then trying to negotiateāparticularly if you do it a lot. Not that Iāve neverā¦but only when some over-the-top, undisclosed āthingā makes it just a loser at accepted fee.
Rarely happens. Experience isnāt the keyā¦itās 2 things: fee & experience.
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Iāve noticed that several of the Signing Agents who flew in during COVID, hit the ground in the last year. They believed too many of the 6-Figure Income TikToks reels.
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Everyone was once a New Notary.
I have noticed the title companies are coming direct to notaries with a body of work free from errors. Experience gets better fees.
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I came into this business when I retired as a mortgage banker in 2011. At that time I set my base fee at $150. All of the big guys agreed and we did business for years on that basis. I have made anywhere from $125 - $400 per transaction since then until the past couple of years. If one of these weisenheimer assignment companies wants you to work for less tell them to have the title company to contact you directly.
The assignment companies are worthless. Title companies are still paying what they always did but the assignment companies are keeping more of the fee.
These people are the rectums of the closing business.
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I really wish you notaries would stop saying that! I mean honestly you guys act like you didnāt have to start off at all taking low offers and any offers for that matter 
You have to crawl before you walk and to walk you need experience and to gain that you take what you can until you can walk!!!So piece of advice be humble to those especially who are just getting started in this business itās not easy and like any business it takes time to get it really going and growing word of honesty and advice be patient when you start you must take at least 50 signings before anyone wants to even consider you as a notary. SO PLEASE DONāT BELIEVE THE HYPEā:relieved:
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For a baseline understanding & to enable clear comprehension of the endeavor being embarked upon (itās no cake walk), one owes it to themselves to review (and take notes) from several key threads within the Goldmine database found right here on the Notary CafĆ© forum accessed via the Search Function utilizing the Magnifying Glass.
Of course, anytime one performs a Search, itās important to activate your critical thinking skills to ensure that youāre discerning the unadulterated truth from other types of information . . .
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Here are two primary examples of jewels immediately available:
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Dont accept less than $100 for a signing
Always xounter if its not $100 or even $150. Its ridiculous that in my 13 years of signing ,.people have managed to low ball themselves and just accept any job thrown their way. If we all set a precident it will be met. They will have no choice. In alaska we are a min of $125 sellers docs $ 150 to 175 for purchase or refi. If I have to drive its $75 /hr or more for me to drive depending on where and when. Late nights , winter snowstorm , I charge more and even have to spend the night sometimes. I charge for that too! Highest fee Iāve ever got was recently when I had to fly on 2 planes to get to a remote area of alaska. $1925 for a refi, my cost was $825 and 24 hrs of my time. Quite an adventure up here.
Cities and States with more notaries it can be harder to negotiate a higher fee , but I feel like everyone has gotten a raise but us. It was a standard $100 to $125 when I was a new agent in california in 2009 now its like $65. Stop accepting less! Always negotiate. Even if its $25 more !
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two planes!!?? lol i donāt think Iāll complain about the traffic I sit in around Boston anymore 
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I never even as a new person, accepted $65 for a signing. And that was 13 years ago the standard was $100. You only hurt yourself in the long run accepting low ball fees IMO. It costs you $15-20 just to print double docs. Let alone vehicle costs and god forbid a mistake u may make and have to fix. Every time I accept a job less than i want, its a pain job.
Just saying
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Ya but i made $1100 and it was gorgeous! Dont get me started on the rusty truck and slightly buzzed driver that picked me up lol
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I suppose Iām the one yāall get so mad at.
When I started as a notary in California 2 years ago I took anything at almost any price. Yes, I lost money on drive time and supplies, but I gained experience. And I built relationships. I had a goal of doing 50; both Loan Signings and General Notary Work before I could say I was āexperiencedā enough to ādemandā a better price. I had to prove myself.
And I fell in love!! I absolutely love the people I meet, the places I go and the opportunity to help someone!
The ālossā per job wasnāt so horrific that it ever was a serious problem. But the gain of paying it forward was enormous. I am now a āpreferredā notary for a couple major title companies AND I still have the relationships with the SS!
I am out every week visiting title companies, real estate offices, escrow officers building these relationships. I have a fantastic working relationships with several signing services. I make money with both.
Now that I have proven myself to them and vetted the ones that I want to work with, I can negotiate better feesā¦
Building relationships is never negotiable. Itās a privilege. And it pays in spades.
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@lyndathenotary Congratulations on your Success! Thatās GREAT to know that in CA you can build solid relationships. 
So VERY happy for you! Wish that was true across the board in the US!
Itās SO important to consider oneās LOCATION.
There are MANY parts of the US where this is simply NOT possible. Itās been repeatedly attempted by multiple professional signing agents in specific areas and all professionals in many regions are simply turned away. Of course, give it your best shot in your own regional locale; however, if youāre repeatedly turned away - just know that itās not you as itās region specific.
In general, the Title/Escrow Company [T/EC], Lender, etc. explicitly state that they are retaining all work in-house. They also add that if their clients are unable to sign in their office that their Staff will visit them in their home.
So truly, as with MOST transactions within the Real Estate Industry: Location, Location, LOCATION!
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