I would join a Union in a heartbeat. It is not something that is forced on you, it is something you join if you feel it benefits your business. If you are not a person that likes a Union then you just don’t join. I personally feel we need one.
Also, let’s just be honest, fees are low because people are accepting them. If no one accepted them they would have no choice but to go higher. You can’t blame the title companies for offering low fees when notaries will take it. Afterall, they are in business to make as much money as possible. So until we notaries stop accepting lower fees nothing will change,NOTHING.
I’m from NY as well. Loan Modification without scan backs $40 to $50. Scan backs are $50. Its only 5mins literally. Remember you are still new and need to get experience. Refi are going so low in NY. Anything less then $100 is low, take nothing less then a $100 for Refi. They will need to see your work before negotiations starts. Seller and Buyers can go from $75 to $100 in NY again when you show your worth they will give more when you ask for more. Sometimes they just go to someone else its work in NY but its not enough. Its goes fast. Take the jobs and place on snap doc, why because you need 25 assignments to start getting those personal text, emails or calls.
Other States are doing better then us. But with determination its will come.
Thank you so much for that reply. It helps. I have been seeing a lot of 40 modifications today but all in queens and Long Island. I don’t think it’s worth it for
Me to go that far for 40. I try to bid more to cover the tolls but I’m not getting any. I def will take the ones in Staten Island and Brooklyn. Can I pick your brain a bit?
are you saying to input any other signings I have manually into Snapdocs?
Heloc’s have been around. They want 50. Is that good? No scans
I wanted to reach out and slap those signing companies. $40 is an insult anywhere in the US.
I do not get in my car for less than $100. I do not get offered those lowball jobs anymore and I have all the work I want. Get on some of these sites that have a profile and put your minimum fee in there. NNA, Signing Order, etc. Hang in there. I use an Epson 4515 AC that has dual tray and scanning. I pay 120 month for the lease and tech support and $.01 per copy for printing plus paper. That includes toner. So shop around for what works for you. $40 ain’t it, I guarantee!
Most of the time we get (from snap docs) roughtly $75-$80 for a 150 page packet here in Cali. I won’t take them because my minimum is $100. I will do one for $50 if it is close to home and under 50 pages, but that’s rare. Did one small one for Coast to Coast on Sept 9th and still haven’t got paid! Gas in Cali is over $4 a gallon but no one on snap docs will raise what they pay us, so I let the notaries that really need it take those jobs. Luckily, I have a few direct title companies that will pay me upwards of $150 and if I get one directly from escrow I get paid $200. $75 was the going rate 12 years ago, come on now, they need to start paying more! Especially with the price of gas. Luckily I have another job and I get paid $30 an hour (part time) and work on zoom, no gas required, so I only take them if they make sense and do not cut into my work hours. Go ahead and take the small jobs until you get really good at, check over your docs, before leaving the client, 3 times, this will save you time and heartache! and Check over your docs before you go to the clients and make sure they are complete. Try to fill out your notary book, and most the notarization pages to save time before you meet your client. Check the docs one last time before you drop off or fed ex.
Linda - Fla with new move to NC - I have been a signing agent since the nineties,
Ask the person that calls you questions
what is the zip code then look up where that approximately is
how many signers - more take more time - time is money
what type of signing is it? purchase, refi, and reverse is usually a two part process more $$ involved because sometimes they ask you to do an application first - this takes a long time - longer than a regular signing and sometimes you have to make copies with your phone - I pay for my phone = they should too
what time is the signing - early in day is better and a public place goes faster ieStarbucks and you can take your pkg to Fed Ex or UPS more leisurely without a 5 pm rush
Approx how many pages times that by two
5 Are their scanbacks - is it all documents or just specific ones I haven’t used a fax machine for a number of years now
6 What fee do they want for the signing - I do not leave my driveway for less than $75. Discuss more if you think you need it - all they can do is say no and sometimes they can’t get anyone else and meet your offer or counter it - don’t be ridiculous though
Is legal paper involved -it makes a difference how many legal pages as the paper is more expensive make sure you have two trays on your printer and for that matter make sure you have two working printers = mine are both the same (Hewlett Packard) I find to be the best I buy mine used for 125 each
buy black and white only printers with toner cartridges - I buy my toner for approx 35 dollars each 5 at a time
I have a Brother fax machine that my husband remade into a scanner - it also copies and I love it.
Make sure you try to get everything delivered to you (Amazon Prime) no shipping fee
Try to use a small car to do these closings = they park easier and use less gas
I am not for a union - we have to run this business ourselves.
Keep a good Notary Journal - in mine I show miles driven, how many notaries I performed, how many pages I printed and with Covid I give them the pen that they used to sign = with my Notary Information on it - Advertising you know. I also have a Notary sign on my car so people can see me coming
Keep good accounting (I use an Excel spreadsheet) and do your collections (if they don’t pay - chase them)
This conversation link is a bit confusing - You agree to the prices you think are fair - if they don’t like them and you know your work is spot on they might give the job to someone else this time but it costs them alot when there are mistakes - they will come back to you - have faith.
Our job as the well seasoned is to MENTOR THE NEW GUYS - Maybe I can help you - PS Google is your friend too
Here’s a funny story for you. I recently accepted a last-minute assignment from an SS that I had completed numerous signings for over time. I anticipated the package to be about 150 pages. The job ended up being over 200 pages and since it was a last-minute assignment I asked for an additional $15. The person on staff that day very arrogantly asked me what made me think he should pay me the extra $$. Now, this SS consistently pays lower than most and I usually don’t accept jobs from them for that reason, but this was close to my house. When I responded with the statement that the amount I was requesting was a standard payment for most other signing companies for packages of that size and that are under time constraints he went into a tirade and told me if I insisted on the extra $$ he would remove me from their preferred list. Long story short, he paid me the extra $$ but apparently took me off the preferred list as I no longer receive job notices from them. However, I look at it this way…now I no longer work for a SS that chooses to be less than the rest rather than the same or better than the others.
Absolutely not your loss. Its funny they are ok paying twice sometimes for single signing due to docs missing or their mess up. but dare you ask for more.
Why do y’all need unions and etc ? Why not just stop accepting crappy fees. This is not like driving uber or doordash that you constantly accept low rates.
Believe me, no one will miss these companies and these companies survive on fresh meat that will work for chump change. Recently I had the honor to cancel my account with one of the major signing companies. And I was casually talking to my bank manager and they mentioned they are moving away from this signing company due to errors and super unprofessionalism, my branch manager also gave me contact to the new title company they are moving to.
I was just offered a signing earlier today for a refi and had to say no. Damn Amazon has lost my journal and now I’m stuck waiting even longer to get to work.
I was also asked what my standard fee was for a refi, but didn’t know what to say as to not go too high or low. I ended up just denying the request and explained I was waiting on necessary supplies. This signing was right near my house too so I am bummed I could not fulfill this order.
What should I ask for for a refi close to home? Is $100 too high or too low when it is a signing service reaching out to me directly?
Forgot to add, I have yet to perform any signing services or notarizations of any kind yet - and that is why I am unsure of what to charge for different types of packages.
Hello Everyone,
It took me a few minutes how to get things going, this format is not like my school’s discussion board. I am in Texas and was kind of thrown in the NSA business. But I don’t have a grasp on fees. Other than what the NNA training suggested, I don’t know anyone in the same line of business. Any suggestions on how to charge? well…START charging
Hello, email me and I will send you a simple excel work sheet that created for myself, to help you see what fee you may want to accept based on distance and page size etc.
Hi, hopefully you will get your journal soon and start signing! You may ask what type of a refi it is. A VA refi from a certain Lender could be from 200 to 275 pages, or a Regular Refi could range from 125 to 200 pages, A purchase loan docs could range from 125 to 200 pages, You may also ask if scan is required. For your first signing however, regardless of type, pages, scan etc., if close to your house, $100 is a good start. Many new LSA s don’t even get direct calls for a long time, so consider yourself in luck! Over time you will get a good understanding of the “right fee’” based on distance, type, number of pages, scan, etc., For now accept as many as you can handle based on your situation. Build experience!
Abraham Lincoln once said," If you ask me to chop a tree in 6 hours, I will spend the first 4 hours sharpening my saw!"
I have made myself a simple excel calculator that gives me a fair idea at a glance of my approximate earning per hour. Be glad to sent it to you. May the force be with you. Good luck!
My fees start with a minimum and increasing based on distance. This tiered structure was developed to compensate for rising fuel costs and weeds out the long distance low ball offers. My coverage area is three counties enveloping 2000 square miles.
