But it does bear repeating. There are a lot of conversations on this forum and would take hours or more to go thru them looking for particular ideas. Very stimulating conversation though.
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noblenotary615… 2. Haven’t tried the dbl sided though…up in the air on that one. 3. if there’s a lot of legal pages, I will print the signer’s copy on letter only. I do travel with a printer and scanner in my van if I need to print a page due to signer error…works for me. 5. there is probably good compatible toner out there, I only use OME bc, a few yrs. ago I purchased a very nice and expensive Brother color laser printer, used compatible toner after the OME ran out…the printer was never the same, printed a blue streak on each page…no matter what I did to correct it, the blue streak remained.
I agree there’s no loyalty…thanks for the post.
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OK, I think I’ve had enough. My best wishes to you all.
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I’m afraid you didn’t fully read my point, here. I specifically mention that it is helpful to not print double sided if you aren’t confident in your abilities or are new. However, if you are confident, then double sided is easier and quicker. If you don’t make mistakes you won’t need an extra document to replace anything with. If you are guiding the signers properly and fully explain the rules, they shouldn’t be making mistakes either. It could be helpful to specifically have a promissory note and deed copy to sub out, though.
Once again, I’m not sure you read what I said. Lenders and title companies do not have requirements on page size for signer copies, in my experience. The signer themselves does not care if a document is printed on legal or not. They can read the letter sized docs just fine. I’ve never had an issue. Of course, you should always print the docs that go back to title exactly as they are specified.
Wow! That’s crazy. I am not in TX, so can’t speak from that experience. Have never been sent an order over 200 pages.
@noblenotary615 I’m afraid it’s you who don’t get it…
As to #2 of RiverpointeTax’s post - it may not be YOU who makes the mistake but the signers…and anything can happen - if you don’t have an exact duplicate page (or a printer to print it) you’re up the proverbial creek with its paddle.
As to #3 of this response - changing the page size changes the font size also…automatically - which may, depending on the local requirements, render the document unrecordable. And once again, the absence of a page to use to substitute in the event of error.
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These are tips that have worked for me. Everyone has to choose their own strategy that works for them, in the end. As I said, time is money.
Regarding this, I’m not sure where you’re getting these assumptions, as these are not words I ever mentioned. If your standard for the signing is 1 hour and you make this known, then your appointment time is 1 hour. When someone goes to a therapist and pays for an hour of therapy, does the person get mad that the therapist asks them to leave after an hour because they have other clients?
As a professional, you shouldn’t be threatening or pressuring anyone to do anything. But, if your time allotted is 1 hour then that should be made known. You may have other appointments. Are you going to be late to all your other appointments because 1 signer decides to take 2 hours? That is extremely unprofessional to me and unfair to all your other appointments. However, if that’s how someone wants to run their business, it’s their choice.
If you have a signing that for some reason will not even start until 35 minutes after the appointment start time, then it behooves you to express apologies, reschedule the appointment for a better time, and remove yourself, I think. Your time is just as valuable as theirs. I once had an appointment where the signer was late. I had another appointment across town afterwards, 2 hours later. The signer said she was “on her way” and would only be “5 minutes.” I told her that was fine, but that our appointment only had 1 hour allotted. However, I waited outside of her apartment for 15 minutes. Then, she sent someone to let me into her empty apartment and wait there. I obliged. I waited another 20 minutes. At this point, she still wasn’t there and 40 minutes afterwards, I was certain we wouldn’t be able to go through everything properly and on time. So, I left and told her so. I immediately called title and told them what happened. They reimbursed me my full fee and I made it to my next appointment on time and got paid for that as well, where the signer did respect my time and our appointment.
Obviously, if you’ve started the signing on time and it’s just taking a bit longer, you should clearly stay and finish. Up to 20 minutes after an hour isn’t the best, but can’t be helped sometimes. Once started, it’s up to you to finish the signing and it’s up to you to guide the signer through the documents efficiently and in a timely manner. If you are reading every sentence or not summarizing things for the signer in a way that makes them confident in the material, that is a time management issue.
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You earlier stated in a different post that calling out, trash talking, companies and individuals is a good idea. Keep in mind there are individuals who work for SS and TC that are on this forum. Many of your colleagues have deep contacts in this business. Do you really want them to see your comments. Your words will eventually get around. In other words what you post on any internet forum is like peeing in the pool; you’ll never get it out.
#2 It’s more common for the signer, than the NSA, to make and uncorrectable error. In this case you’ll need the “back up” copy. If the Back Up is printed double sided or the font is too small, you’ll have a much more difficult time making a correction at the table. I’ve had kids get sick on the document package, the family cat get frisky with the pages, beverage spills, and goats trying to pages. Since it’s the signer’s home one needs to be careful and tactful how you handle these risks. The signer can kick you out and while telling the TC their story, which will taken as fact more so than any explanation you offer. You’ll suddenly find yourself not getting engagements, without anyone telling you why.
#3 Page and font size can be specified by the lender, TC, or the State. If the document instructions specify how they should be printed always follow the instructions. Don’t deviate. If you must deviate always contact the document originator to get approval. Your signer may not b able to read small fonts due to visual impairment. If they complain to Title, this could cost you future business for not following instructions. A visually impaired individual is not required to let you know, nor can you ask. This is not the first disabled client I’ve closed for.
#6 Ok you’re not working Texas. Always caveat your advice with local market in mind. That being said be careful offering blanket advice. In Real Estate it’s ‘location, location, location’.
You never want to threaten a signer or walk out of a signing. This can be construed as coercion or intimidation. Both of these can have civil and criminal consequences. If the signer has a disability, a non-native English speaker, ect., that would put drag on the signing, this could result in violations of the signer’s civil rights or the American’s with Disabilities Act.
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Unfortunately, this is what you said - if it takes more than an hour…leave. I missed this the first go round and strongly disagree. Things happen - you never leave your signer unless it’s painfully obvious they don’t understand their loan or they are not going to sign. Then you either offer to come back or put them in touch with their LO - but just leave? NO!!
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Thank you! Printers can definitely be temperamental. I’ve saved a lot of money using my strategy in the main post, but I can only speak for brother printers. Having a mobile printer and scanner is excellent! That’s the most ideal situation. When it comes to printing double sided signer copies, it’s up to you. The signers can always request digital copies from the lender at their leisure. These tips have worked for me and I’ve never had an issue.
It’s your business, so do what works for you, your clients, and your wallet!
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Actually I like some of your points.
What you may possibly do is print everything double sided and letter size for the signer copy but those pages with signatures and notarization language print those pages which is probably about 20 pages as single pages.
I try to give myself at least an hour/ and a half just in case of signers wanting to read everything or other problems.
I do agree with the fees which we are being low balled for. Maybe notaries should start a union with all notarization starting off at no less than $100.
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You can avoid signers signing in the wrong place if you pay attention to what they’re doing. For example, on the Right To Cancel form, I usually point out where they should sign and in some cases specifically tell them NOT to sign on the “I wish to cancel” line. If most signature lines also call for a date, I pay special attention to the NOTE, where sometimes they want a date and sometimes they don’t. I will tell the signers “No Date” before they start to sign. I watch their hand closely and as soon as they finish their signature I watch like a hawk if it looks like they’re trying to enter a date. Several times, I’ve stopped them just in the nick of time.
Nothing is 100% but I agree with the policy that borrower copies can be done on all letter-size paper using “shrink-to-page size” without too much risk. It’s actually easier for the borrower that way. Even if you have to send back a page that was originally legal-size in letter-size, it’s usually fine. I’ve done that several times and never had a complaint about it. The one thing I’ve never really understood is why lenders insist on still using legal-size paper. How stupid does it look for a 180 page package to have 3 legal size pages and 177 letter-size?
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I love my flags…All my signers love it young and old. I tell them its a two step process. It shows them where they need to sign and when they hand the documents back to me i use it as a way to check to make sure it was done correctly by removing the flag. I resuse them over and over again. I will never stop flagging my documents.
In this business we know loyalty is not there so cutting corners to save a buck or two makes no sence… it takes one error to ruin a relationship and can cost you the next assignment and more money than what you saved. I am by the book kinda gal… I follow instructions as they are given to me by each company. But Hey we all run our business the way we see fit.
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It makes sense to efficient people. Flags are redundant. You don’t need a flag to point out where to sign when you’re sitting right there with the signers. Flags would make sense if the signers were on their own. If you’re familiar with the docs, you can check everything on your own without flags. Besides, you then have to remove all the flags before shipping them off, taking even more time. Using flags is kind of like using training wheels on a bike, in my experience. I did it when I first started out and saved much more time when I stopped. You can go much faster with just 2 wheels.
Cutting corners is not synonymous with sloppy, shoddy, and/or poor work. People who are great at calculus use tricks/“cut corners” to solve their equations quickly or do it all in their head, versus math challenged people (like myself) who have to write every single step out to get to the answer. People who aren’t so good must follow the exact formula taught “by the book.” Advanced students create their own methods which save time, as they’re more confident in their abilities. As long as the answer is correct, do what you want.
These tips are for efficient NSAs. Ones who value saving time, not spending it marking every signing with over 40+ labels. Ones who don’t make mistakes, therefore don’t need a back up copy paper for every single page in a signing. Ones who understand they are in charge as business owners, versus ones who bend over backwards to be exploited like employees. Ones whose time, experience, and energy is valuable, versus ones who don’t recognize their worth. Ones who cultivate relationships with businesses who are fair to them, versus any old company that will pay them a penny.
These tips aren’t for everyone.
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With due respect… my statement about cutting corners… “printing double sided for borrowers copies or printing on letter instead of the correct legal size as required” goes against the instructions given by the companies and that is what i was referring to. One of my job is to make the signers comfortable and at ease during the signing process so if i have to use training wheels as you so refer to the flags as… then training wheels i will use. It takes little or no time to remove as i go and it allows me the exra time during the process instead of waiting till the end to double check at the end. My process works for me as your process clearly works for you… I always get positive feedback on my process at the end of each of my signing and after 400+ signings this year I only have 1 error and that was a missed date at the end of a 4 appointment signing day so i was cross-eyed… Im good and very efficient
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BTW… I saved your printer tip and it worked… thanks for that
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My pleasure! Glad to hear it.
Walk out??? OMG… Never… that must have been a typo
I’m not sure what you’re responding to, as I’ve blocked that user long ago. If you’re confused about point 6 or have specific questions, I’ve already elaborated here. Once again, verbiage is important. “Cutting corners” is not synonymous with doing shoddy work. Leaving a signing is not synonymous with “walking out,” which implies just hopping up and running out of the door in the middle of a signing because it goes a few minutes over. It’s important to read the whole paragraph and use critical thinking, versus taking lines out of context.
Keywords: unless it’s your fault. If you are slow and inefficient, that’s your fault. If the signer is reading everything because you aren’t summarizing properly, that’s your fault. If you aren’t setting expectations at the beginning of the signing, that’s your fault etc. Some things can’t be helped, though. As stated, this is a “goal” to reach for. Things happen.
I get the point that you made… if the signer is 35 min late then yes I agree with you that rescheduling if necessary would be the best thing. I had a signer that was 20 min late for her 8am appointment and I informed the TC who gave me the okay to reschedule for later on on the evening as I had another appointment right after. I know you did not mean you start the appointment told the signer they had an hour and would walk out if it took longer. That is the typo I was referring to……I know you are more professional than that.
And for the record I never said that cutting corners is shoddy work… that is your interpretation. Let me be clear… cutting corners is NOT smart or a safe way to do business as it could cost you more than you would have saved. Standards are in place for a reason. Would you live in a home if your builder cut corners and not follow standard building practices?
You didn’t have to say it was shoddy work, you implied that it was. And you implied it again in this post. Think what you like, I’m not arguing about it.