Reality check for how much notaries earn on average in your area

I myself print and go on “most” transactions. No “flagging” signature lines here. As @dragonbkm stated, comes with experience, especially on routine transactions with routine clients. Besides, something comes up in the docs, the time to make the phone call is the same whether your making that call at your house or at the borrowers.
I will say, 20 - 40 minutes per signing at the table? High bar to meet when not knowing how the signers will perform on their end in advance (not to mention the incidental doc issues).
I will say, the trick in a smooth, fast signing is all in the “communications” taking place at the table. Keep general conversation at a minimum, and when presenting/explaining the docs, limit the room for questions from the signers. (I guess now we have time to talk more)

For me, I move as fast as I am comfortable with when I have to. I don’t have a car that drives itself (and never want one); I don’t have a mobile office but I do use an electronic journal (it’s terrific). At least now we all know Dragon’s secret sauces. Claims without substantiation are just frustrating and don’t do anybody any good. It’s just bragging.

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I spent 25 years as a real estate closing paralegal - from contract to close, including reviewing title searches and drafting title policies and tracking pre-closing conditions and post closing followup - I know those docs like the back of my hand and have for quite some time. In fact, I first started out having to type the note and mortgage myself.,completely

My table time with the borrowers was minimum 60 minutes - I would go over the docs and I knew with certainty that, when I left, my signers knew what they had signed and all questions had been answered. I didn’t flip pages and wasn’t a point and sign notary. Pity sake, it takes a good 5-10 minutes to get the journal completed with the ID info and get it signed - then let’s not forget completing the Patriot Act form.

I sincerely believe that anyone who does a signing in 20-40 minutes is only giving the borrowers lip service, is doing them a serious disservice and is probably skipping some steps in the process.

JMO

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I agree completely. As I have said, I was a productivity/methods analyst for many years in the banking industry. Those years have long passed but I still know my stuff and the clear difference between [acceptable] shortcuts like cars that drive themselves and mobile offices and such and actual face-to-face handling of a transaction. Familiarity with documents? Sure. Seller’s docs with repetitive processes, abbalootely! Skill? Well, heck, I got skill, too. Everybody at their own pace. One can make what their schedule and ability will permit as long as there’s work to be had. But, skill? In my world, skill is a given and it’s mandatory.

Whatever. Dragon makes a lotta dough and he’s the better for it doing things his way. Again, I’m just glad he finally told us how he does it. Gee whiz.

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Electronic journal, takes 5 seconds for them to sign. :grin:

I do summarize every doc, some of us are just faster.

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Please explain how you enter the ID information. Also, I may have missed it, but what state are you in? Are you talking RONs? Are you talking paper?

P.S. I won’t go electronic - don’t trust it.

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Yes, goes back to my “communication” thing. How you present/describe docs is a big game changer. After all, MOST signers know what’s coming their way, as they applied for it! Also, the signer schedules the appointment, not the client. So why book it if they weren’t getting what they were looking for?

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NotaryAct. Just scan the barcode on the ID with your phone (for most). I love it! Electronic is a shared liability. They get hacked on their end, their responsibility. You get hacked on your end, your responsibility. The plus? It’s all stored in their server, so rarely an issue on your part should the info get compromised. Now if you download the history on your own computer, and it gets compromised, then it’s on you. Hope this helps!

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Yeah- I won’t use my phone for that.

Soooo glad I got out of the loan signing part.

Sure, you take a picture of the driver’s license in the app. Prior to the appt, you enter the appt details and journal entries. At the end of the appt, they sign your journal once, which is compliant in MD for an electronic journal.

Details include their name, type of ID, address, signing location(manually or gps), type of signing appt, fee if any, then the individual document descriptions(i.e. Deed of Trust, 12 pages long, date of document, acknowledgement).

You can customize the journal for common types of signings you do and a few other ways.

My 1099 from 2021 was $52,000 ( 3-5 signings a day) in Dallas, Texas. So far this year? I am lucky to make $500/mth. Closings have slowed down this year. Making that non taxable $$, put me in the red, however it was worth it.
I work for a law office (22 years), and basically work from home.

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(AZ) Wow… I guess area and volume of notaries will always be a major impact in areas.

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I would agree about signing times being 20 to 45 minutes. My full purchases with buyers, sellers and realtors usually only take about 30 minutes. Signing both parties at the same time with brief doc explanations for each. Some of it is skill level which most on here have plenty of. But some of the timing is brevity and knowing how to point out answers in the docs and not elaborating about everything we know. My signers and Realtors love it.

Most title companies today I find don’t want closers reviewing documents but rather collecting signatures and pointing out answers within the documents. Too much review can get us into trouble if someone misinterprets. Lastly I think most signers just want a brief one liner of the doc and to see the numbers match what they expected.

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Print n Go Huh! One should stop to organize the documents to start with important information such as first payment letter, note, mortgage and thus far. You are taking clients from ZXY instead of ABC and this ultimately will bring more questions as you are not starting and transitioning from major documents to lesser documents. If you print/go you run the risk of getting cut off documents, missing document or documents with name discrepancy. My rant is over!

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(AZ) I would say 30% of my signings come from one direct that tells me not to change the order of the package…so I won’t pull info out just to put it in order. What I let them know is my role and if they have questions during the signing I will point the answers to it within the document itself. If it’s not there then we will make a call to find the answers that they need.

On the very rare occasion (200+ signings this year) I have only two occasions where they wanted to know the amount they are getting back up front. I pulled that doc out show them and put it back in the order and commenced. My average signings take me 60 min and up to 1.5 if I have older borrowers who I tend to take extra time and care. I often get the feedback from them comparing me to the last notary that they worked with… saying that they felt rushed and with me…I was patient and a whole lot of other nice things I won’t bore you with.

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I totally understand your situation. I am certain the gentleman wasn’t working within a Title Company possibly and some instances some SS do make such a request. But for many, I have performed assignments for I organize document to remove errors quickly by placing forth 4 main documents. Thanks for your response!

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Respectfully - I call BS on this and I’m sorry for being so blunt, but are you kidding me? Your Sellers alone should get 30 minutes of your time - both buyer AND seller? AND with a realtor present?? No, don’t buy it. Plus, when I’ve had this situation - did it occur to you that having Sellers present while you go over Buyers’ financial transaction may be a breach of privacy? I have always completed Seller first, then made sure Sellers had another room/office to go to while I did Buyer package. And MY Buyers and realtors loved that.

Sorry, again, for being so blunt but…

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Not a rant. Thanks for your feedback. What exactly would you be “organizing?” You bring the docs to the table in the same order you received them. Shuffling them up prior is what will cause confusion and generate questions. If they sent me 145 pages in the PDF, I make sure the printer printed 145 pages. Same with scanbacks (both devices have counters). MOST clients want the docs back in the same order they sent them to you. If something is “missing,” not my problem. I’m not sure what your definition of a “major” or “lesser” document is, but a “lesser” document will prevent a loan from closing just the same as a “major” doc would. A “major” document (to me) is ANY page requiring ink from the signer(s). The proper selections in your printer preferences along with the “print preview” function is their to catch “cut off’s.” Additionally, (help us all out here), how do you catch a “name discrepancy” PRIOR to seeing the signer(s) ID?
But yes, Print n Go! (comes with experience)

Linda blunt is fine but your out of touch. I think you and others call BS out of ignorance I’m just trying to share what works for me and am doing very well. I review the borrowers CD where only the borrower can see it and point to the numbers while reviewing P&I, term, escrow and deposit, etc. And I’ll get the lender on the phone too on occasion if needed. No verbal disclosures of numbers necessary in front of sellers. I’ve been in the mortgage industry for 30 years. 900 signings last year - just me. Lenders don’t want us explaining in great detail all documents. And I know them all. The days of 1.5 hour closings are gone. And should be. No one cares to hear everything we know and in today’s world most lenders have covered the docs in advance. I can’t tell you how many borrower’s and sellers have told me how appreciative they are as their previous closer wasted their time reviewing what they already reviewed. And some felt that the closer enjoyed a captured audience. I never want anyone to feel like they’re “captured”.

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You are probably right…I haven’t done loans for several years…but 20-30 minutes for both buyer AND seller?? Sorry…unless part of it is electronic, there’s something wrong with that picture.

JMO…

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