Any tips on starting RON? What is the best platform to use. I just recently requested certification in Oklahoma
I recently started up again in North Carolina after covid shut me down in Florida. I was told by the Sec of State, here in NC that they were not even sure if they were going to continue RON after Dec 31, 2021 and I have heard nothing yet. The Notary puts up a lot of their own money to set this up and I have not even received any requests - we need special laptops, cameras and software that has a monthly fee and personally I feel that there is too much chance of fraud for me, but if you want to – Good Luck! Oklahoma might be different.
Thank you for your insight! I have actually had some request, which is one reason i decided to get approved by the state. It looks like Oklahoma is in for the long haul in regards to RON so we shall see:)
I have been doing RON since April, 2020. Up until the loan rates were raised recently, it has been a very good step for me to switch from being a mobile notary to fully RON. There are a number of platforms for doing RON and you would want to choose them based on the direction you want to go with your business. If you want to do contract work as a RON, there are companies like NotaryCam and Notarize. They will train you to handle the notarizations coming to them from the general public and their own clients. The fees they pay are low in comparison to what you cam make on your own but the trade-off is that you are doing volume work. Plus, your costs for doing the notary work are almost zero. It’s mainly the start up costs to become a RON.
The other way to go is to use platforms designed for notaries to handle their own business. You can check into DocVerify, OneNotary, and Notarize for the fees they charge. The benefit is that you make the full amount of what your state allows you to charge per notarization but you are responsible for your own costs to have your own platform to work with, and you must supply your own clients. I took the path of working as a contractor while building up my own client base of those who prefer to work with the same notary who gives them service they can depend upon; which can be sometimes lacking in the companies that use contractors. Doing both contractor work plus my own clients has enabled me to handle over 6000 notarizations with many of those taking place in over 1000 real estate signings. There are technical challenges from time to time doing RON but it has convinced me that this is the best way for me to handle my notary.work.
I hope this information helps you.
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I appreciate the information you provided. I am looking to do the contractor work to get started. Will NotaryCam and Notarize send you clients? This is where I am struggling just getting started. I would like hands on experience with loan documents but not sure where I can get practical experience. I would greatly appreciate any help or advise you can provide. Thank you for your time and consieration.
They will both train you to handle their customers. They will have you start with single documents and work up to real estate closings.
My first two closings paid all my RON expenses for the year. RON has no expenses other than the cost of your time. Hardly the case for paper closings/mobile closings.
What RON platform are you using, jnewberry and where are you located? I have looked into quite a few after receiving my online commission and most charge a monthly or annual fee, plus a transaction fee. Many even charge to add extra signers, extra seals, etc. I am considering PandaDoc Notary (absorbed LiveNotary) as it seems the most cost-effective and includes the cost of your digital certificate (which I already paid IdenTrust for for 2 years to use on Notarize) and no additional per signer or document fees within a single transaction, but it is about $750 annually + $10/transaction. I could not pay for that with 2 closings in the State of Texas.
Still waiting on application to Notarycam.