I’m thinking about becoming a notary and getting certified as a signing agent, but I have some questions before I make that first step:
I saw a job posting for signing agents from a company called National Signing Source. They have a website, but not sure if they are legitimate. Anyone have information on them?
What is the real demand for signing agents? How much work is there really?
What’s the best place to buy notary supplies?
What’s the best site to take a signing agent certification course?
After getting certified as a signing agent, it’s been advised to sign up for as many signing agent companies as possible. Should I also try to contact all title and escrow companies, mortgage companies, law firms, banks, real estate companies, and financial institutions in my area to offer my services?
What are the best signing agent companies to sign up with, and what are the companies to stay away from?
Area-dependent; the more competition, generally, the lower their offer.
Lots of places; you’ll have to do your own research.
There is none. Get notary experience first
As many Signing Service companies, yes. Forget Title co until you have experience. Forget the rest unless you make a local friend who does lots of mortgage originating. Mostly, a local TC is your competition.
Both lists would be way too long. Google other Directory sites and read 'til your eyes bleed.
I’m going to add that many companies prey on newbies and will offer $50-$90 which isn’t enough.
The best thing you can do is take out your calculator & figure out your Costs, Taxes, ADD Profit!
for every place you are willing to go. Not doing that first will make you think $90 sounds really good.
They do not hire notaries. National Signing Source is a pay-to-play Directory & seller of all sorts of notary-related ‘stuff’. A brief look at their website shows some misinformation.
I have just recently started to do signings. I saw an ad by the National Signing Source on Craigslist. That’s how I found out about them. They are legitimate. They offer webinars on the signing process. They also offer notary supplies cheaper than you’d pay at an office supply store.
There are a few things I’ll share with you that I learned as I prepared myself to do this
Make sure you have a good printer and internet access at home. You’ll need to be able to print your own documents. It can cost a lot to pay to print them at Office Depot or Staples. You’ll always need to take 2 sets of documents to a signing. One to return to the Title company and one to leave with the Signer.
One advantage of using the National Signing Source is that once you are a signing agent, they give you access to a list of Title companies across the US that you can register with as a vendor. The more companies you register with, the more opportunities you’ll have to perform a signing. The majority of them send out a mass text message and whoever answers quickly enough, more often than not, will receive the assignment. You are given an opportunity to decline the assignment. Always reply, even if you are unable to accept the signing.
It’s time consuming registering with the title companies. Most of them want the same paperwork from you before they’ll add you to their list of available signing agents. I keep all of my documents in a folder on my desktop.
The actual signing doesn’t take long. But, afterwards you’ll need to fax and/or scan the documents back before you are able to send them overnight. All of the Title companies provide a UPS overnight shipping label. You’ll need to decide how large an area you want to cover as a signing agent.
The money can be good, but most companies cut their checks on the 15th of the month. So, if you decide to do this full time, you’d need to figure out how many signings you need in order to meet your financial obligations. Getting another part time job might be a good idea until you are able to support yourself full-time as a signing agent.
After I saw the ad on Craigslist, I called National Signing Source and spoke to a woman there and basically asked her if the ad was “for real.” She said, she’d done it for 10 years full-time and make a good living doing it. If you are thorough, follow the instructions properly for each signing, then companies will come back to you for future business. It’s like starting any self-owned business – you have to work it to make it successful.
Hope this is helpful. Linda T.
This company advertises on craigslist for a reason. I had a friend pay way way too much for training that she didn’t need. The lied about what she would get paid. I wish she would have asked me before spending so much money. I called them and they were so rude to me. ( I don’t need their training, I just wanted to know how much a year for the website and what they offered for the money)
This business is all about networking. You have to learn to go to different title companies and services. All are different. When companies tell you that you will make 100-150 per signing, that is simply not true. Also, most companies want EXPERIENCED notary signing agents, when offering a better fee.
Personally, I would NEVER work for any company who advertises on Craig’s List. If they are legitimate they will have a website. Best to look them up on NotaryRotary to see how many people have been ripped off by them.
