Question for notaries

About how many pages are in a loan application?
Just need to know for pricing. Thanks

Pages in a loan application? Respectfully, just asking why that would matter for notary? How do you price on that? I suspect that the application is only a few pages and the notary doesn’t need to do anything other than get initials on the first page and sigs on the sig line and continuation page. Maybe I don’t understand the query. :innocent:

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Depends on the type of loan - could be anywhere from 85 pages to over 200 (if you have to print out the informational booklet for borrowers) - price well as these usually take as long as a final closing because in addition to having to sign the docs, borrowers have to provide you with copies of supporting documents - which most times they have to go hunt up because, although they’ve been told to have them ready, trust me they won’t. The only saving grace is you only usually print one copy to sent back/scan back. I used to leave a copy of the Good Faith Estimate with the signers so they had something to refer to.

Make sure you get payment within 20-30 days, not at funding - if the loan doesn’t close or you don’t get the final signing you’re out your money. My fee for the app was at least equal to the final closing fee…$125 for a regular loan, more for a reverse mortgage loan.

Good Luck

P.S. And make sure to get good contact phone numbers for hiring party - many potential borrowers have questions at the table that need answering before they’ll sign. GL again

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Maybe I took the query too literally; it asked how many pages are in a loan application. Am I confusing that with the loan “package”??? If so, I apologize. Then I would agree, the typical package runs 100-to-200 pages and sometimes more depending on the type of loan and the lender. VA loans can run 300 pages and take 1 1/2 hours at the signing table. I hope that is helpful. :no_mouth:

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'thank you so much. I got a notification for an application and I realized
that I have never done one so I wanted to be cautious as to pricing
since they asked if I could do it for a lower price. Thanks again. Very helpful!

ok that makes more sense. Of course I would LOVE it if the package was only a few pages but I guess always be ready for the possibility of ream sized packages lol

Also, know there are usually no notarizations involved…some have said a Signature/Name Affidavit is included; I have never had one included in any of the apps I did

JME

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“piggybacking” off of what others have chimed in on, if it is a loan application and not a loan package, you may be required (usually) to obtain other documentation from the borrower to send back to the lender (pay stubs, insurance, statements, etc.). If this is the case, it should be dictated in your assignment. Give the borrower a heads up when you confirm the appointment to avoid the “headache at the table” causing you time. Hope this helps!

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Yes, it depends on the type of loan. My last pre-application ended up being very similar to a reverse mortage application over 100 pages. I will try any type of loan signing once. This way I will know what it is and what I am willing to do it for going forward. Always read the fine print on the pay part of the order. A lot of signing services will offer low prices and say you will only get half of the agreed amount if it is a “no sign” and that amount may not even cover your print and trip fee. For me I get all the experience I can.

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That’s a good question. Personally, I do not do application. I am a notary I’m not a loan officer or a messenger.

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Concur :100: Percent with @VIPnotaryCO

When initially starting out in this business sector, I accepted a “loan application” Signing Order for a variety of reasons. I learned quite a bit during that appointment. It was definitively a debacle from start-to-finish. No specific information was provided ahead of time about the signer or her current situation & that I learned upon my arrival to her home:

  • single signer (female)
  • lived in a very affluent (albeit remote near Grand Lake) community
  • her 36-year marriage just came to an end with the death of her husband
  • her husband had never “involved” her in their finances
  • She was unaware of the whereabouts (within her very large home) the documents required to return with the loan application, etc.

The appointment duration was over 3 hours. After 1 hour into her searching for the needed documents and unable to locate them due to tearful mourning while searching through her deceased husband’s belongings . . . I let her know that I needed to step outside for a few moments.

I reached out to the hiring party and briefly explained the situation confronting me. They responded that the requested supporting documents MUST be in the returning package & I that MUST stay until she locates them. :astonished: I requested a higher fee for the additional time required, which was met with an adamant refusal.

I kindly, successfully & professionally completed the loan application Signing Order, but vowed to never accept another one (for many of the above-stated reasons), but also because I learned that unequivocally this portion of the refinance/reverse mortgage process was outside the purview and bailiwick of the realm of my responsibilities as a Notary Signing Professional [NSP].** providing services.

** Thank You, @Arichter :crown: for the excellent services Title. I much prefer this one as well! :apple:

Best Wishes :swan:

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thank you for sharing. I’m always glad to hear about real life examples. :grinning:

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I had a reverse mortgage application yesterday with 90 pages. I called the signer two days before and had a long discussion on the documents I needed her to have copies for. I told her to have them ready and I would copy them. Sweet elderly lady who kept talking and talking as I gracefully put the documents in front of her to fill out and sign. I was mentally prepared to be there for 2 hours but was able to get through it in less than an hour.

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