I’m perplexed reading the forum(s) entries and “newbies” trying to get into this business. Learn how to calculate COGS before investing in the signing business. Look at the mortgage rates they are going up, not down. If you want to print 400 pages, travel 50 miles for $30.00 have at it.
Modification signings will increase and no one is going to sustain themselves off eighteen-page packages.
Amazes me too - but I refrain from responding to anyone who posts here that they’re just starting out, they’re new and getting this business off the ground etc etc - because it’s inevitably followed by posts from others calling us “naysayers”.
I shake my head when I read them…wonder who starts a new business without researching it first…then move on. IMO the only ones making the big bucks are those hawking their training and convincing people this is the end all-be all of self-employment with 6-figure incomes guaranteed if you take their training.
I wish them well - but hope they go in with eyes wide open
Couldn’t agree with you two more. Business is down and COG up. Had a structured settlement offer come in yesterday (some of these folks are repeaters) Same guy, company, hiring party…yet they offer less money than the last 2 times (last year & the year before)…and expenses are considerably higher. No thank you.
Love it 
; so true. 50 mikes for me is typically one way = $20 gas (this doesn’t even cover vehicle wear and tear), 400 pages = almost a ream of paper $3-4; ink = $10, now let’s talk realistic travel time … to, from and at signing …… about 3 hours.
Now do the math
It saddens me that this world has had to result to 3rd party platforms. It would be heaven sent to be able to meet, greet, and work directly with escrow, lenders realtors more easily
I love signings; I have worn every hat in this industry and it has really changed.
@LindaH-FL Concur 
Percent!
@LindaH-FL Yes, according to the “advertisers” and the “hawkers” (on the forums) . . . “big bucks,” but those of us who’ve been hitting the proverbial bricks for decades know better from first-hand experience & as graduates of the UHK (the university of hard knocks). We’ve witnessed the cyclical nature and weathered the ebb & flow tides of this business sector. My insights, contributions, wisdom sharing demeanor has changed (like yours), too.
Ahhhhh, now playing golf 4 days a week w/Saturdays and Sundays. I’m fortunate, I came out of retirement to jump on the refi bandwagon, made a lot of money over the past 6 years and now going back to doing what I do best–being retired. Again.
How many people ask you, “How do you get into this line of work” when you are at the table? Far too many, for me. All the hype from 2020 and the "those who can’t do"ers selling a can’t-miss method of making money for very little effort to far too many people who have no clue the responsibilities involved in being a Notary Public.
Right? I get asked that question a lot–and I discourage every one of them from even thinking about it. Search my zip code on SigningAgent.com, 5 mile radius, NNA member and NNA certified. 31 names come up, most with a year or less experience. Nahhhh, my days of competing for business are long gone. I’d rather play golf!
Me! Me! I swear I gained 2 to 3 new signing agents in my area every week! Even the loan officers and realtors that I talked to asked me about how many I do per month! And I saw a light bulb went off with each one! Ugh!!!
Oh you sill rabbits, “He” has a new video out teaching you how to make that same $10,000 in a Normalized Real Estate Cycle
Just spend that money and it will all be different for you. That is what you are doing wrong, not giving “him” the money.
I take five minutes for my canned response:
"Well, let’s see. First you have to train and certify. The laws pertaining to Notarial Acts are pretty strict, and ignorance is not a defense - you have to know what you’re doing. It’s not difficult to become a Notary, but it’s even easier to be a Notary who has been sued for poor performance. Second, you have to find clients. Unless you start with a sizeable contact list of real estate professionals willing to book with you from the beginning, you won’t. Find any. Title and escrow companies are swamped with new signing agents trying to break into the market, and their standard response is… call us when you’ve completed 100 orders. Unless you have serious marketing skills and experience building a company from the ground up, you will fail.
My recommendation, if you are interested in real estate but not interested in selling, is to consider becoming a Limited Practice Officer, an escrow officer, or, if you want to work completely from home for yourself, an abstractor. All require some training and additional certification, but all are highly sought after and provide a great deal more stability for a new person."
Drives me insane that some are out here capitalizing on a slow market! Dude you can’t guarantee anyone a dang $1, let alone $10k a month! Stop it!
He’s not the only one I see doing this.
I’m beginning to see more NSAs dropping out, falling back on another income stream. I never thought this would be a permanent career. I became and NSA while I launched another business. Now it’s become a value added service to second business.
You did the right thing. Too many people thought becoming a notary was the road to riches. I think they thought no one else was in the business and they would make a killing.
Yeah, not so much, eh?
I am going to play dumb…
He? Who’s he?
Did a signing this morning with a retired vet who drives for Uber to supplement his income. The first thing he asked me before we got started is if I work for myself and if I make good money doing what I’m doing because he was thinking about doing “that kinda thing”.
I responded… " Yes I do work as an independent contractor and the money I make varies depending on how many jobs I’m assigned. This business is a tough business to get into and sustain especially if you have no financial service background or no training to attract clients."
The discussion ended right there… we moved on to his signing.
Soon people that only started doe the money will dwindle away and it will be semi normal again, the SS will see they’re gone and start offering competitive offers again. I hope. Unril then I’ll just keep doing GNW work. Anything else is not worth my time.
Layoffs hit Wells Fargo’s home lending unit as mortgage rates climb and originations plummet. Teams across multiple US cities may be affected.
Sad, it’s happening……
Darkness is over the horizon. There will be more foreclosures worst than what we saw in 2008 crash. At least back then people didn’t pay $1 million for a home worth $400k like they do now.
I think the wave has already started as I am getting daily requests for property inspections that I’m turning down, left right and center except one that I did over the weekend where I had to negotiate heavily to compensate for the travel
As a newbie I became a LSA because it was initially introduced to me back in 2012. It was something I thought I always wanted to do. I am quite discouraged by the discussions, the bad mouthing of the newbies and the snide remarks about the moneymaking gurus. There appears to be very little respect or support for newbies who dare enter this field—as if we are all silly enough to believe all of the six-figure hype. A millenial male notary said it best recently: “…notaries are not commissioned to sign loans. Notaries are commissioned to serve their communities.” I will stick with serving my community and leave the loan signings to the more “experienced” folks to fight over. Thank you for sharing your truth as I go grab my orange insulated bag. Grub Hub pays daily by the way. Take care.
