Time to renew your commission, was it worth it?

This question has to be top of mind for all the California commissioned notaries that rushed in, “gold rush reference”, when that highly convincing six figure opportunity man suddenly started appearing in your feed every time you turned on your internet device.Time to renew, now or soon and will you renew and if not, why?

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I just renewed in VT. I got reelected as a justice of the peace, so my renewal was free. But I did have to pay around $30 for a continuing education class. We have to renew online, and it takes about 5 minutes. The new commission certificate is available for download immediately.

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I will renew in April. I never did believe the six figure man. I never believe anyone who says they’re doing 9 contracts a day.

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Just because we’re having this conversation I admit to signing more than 9 in one day while working out of a Title office in Mission Valley.

You were in one spot That’s not mobile. And it’s still a screaming pace.

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I just renewed my Ohio commission that will expire in February. I started this business because I had been in the mortgage industry for 28 years / 26 years as a Notary and never needed much of a ramp-up time. I will fully retire in 2 years but that doesn’t mean I won’t take a signing or two for my favorite title companies. The business is a lot more fun when you can ignore insulting offers from signing platforms.
Yes, the-figure charlatain with white veneers made a bundle off those who would also be convinced that MLMs were designed to make every “hun” a millionaire. Those notaries are why so many companies ask for scan-backs on simple deals.

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7 in one day was my max since I am mobile. By the end of the day, I couldn’t tell you where I had been or what we had signed and it made me nervous.
Sitting in one office to do 9 in one day would be a piece of cake after that.

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Y’all talk fast. I’ve done 5 in a day but that was tough.

Yes, I would renew my commission and definitely worth the time and cost. :grinning:

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I may renew it, although I’ll be 66 next year. This week was one of my best because I had no access to a printer! I loved it. Just did estate planning docs all week. Who needs signing services? I don’t even think they should be legal! They charge so much more than the state allows so how do they get away with it? Anyway, life is better without scans, printing, getting your fingers raw from the paper, long appointments, anxiety from documents that don’t arrive in time, and more. I can take more appointments and people seem to be more relaxed. I’m done struggling with crappy fees. And I made more money. Why did it take so long to figure that out?

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@johnsonps306 A few years ago (during COVID-19) I successfully scheduled & completed EIGHT Refinance packages in one day & it was in 8 separate counties spanning hundreds of miles.

It was an End-Of-The-Month [EOM] RUSH => otherwise, there wouldn’t have been that many available within my price range in a one-day interval . . .

My day started at 6 AM and ended at the stroke of Midnight. :tada:

I was elated & simultaneously EXHAUSTED. I filled my 24-Gallon gas tank 3 times that day!

LESSON LEARNED? That’s TOO many to reasonably complete across that many counties in one day. I told myself “Never again that many in one day!

NOTE: Now, I limit acceptance of Signing Orders [SOs] to a maximum of four in one day (if blessed with 4 SOs within my price range) => unless there are multiple SOs within a single county (at which point I may accept more than four).

:swan:

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I can’t imagine eight. One day I did six and like that early morning to midnight. Swore I’d never do it again. I did 4 last Friday. I like 3. Am thrilled to get 2 a day and have a day here and there that is just one. I started in 2021. It was still crazy busy but I put max at 5. Driving that many miles - not anymore. Although tomorrow I’ll cross a few counties. December has been pretty good so we’ll see how it ends.

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I cannot imagine crossing a few counties. That sounds like hours of driving to me.

Eastern Washington is rural agriculture land. The Columbia Basin is sand and sagebrush and includes parts of 4 counties. You drive forever to get anywhere. The challenge is schedulers in other states thinking 75 miles is nothing because they don’t realize it’s a 2 lane highway in the middle of nowhere, with a max speed limit of 65 and full of milk trucks and produce trucks and no cell service. I provide services to 6 counties and for extra fees will go to 3 others. Today I’ll see Yakima, Benton, Adams and Grant County. And don’t get me started on files that require a scan AND a same day ship when FedEx has reduced service hours for Express. I will have to take a longer route back from Grant County to ensure a drop. I asked for and received the fee that reflects that but I drive a LOT. Happily though less than other gig jobs such as InstaCart or Door Dash. I might even get a commission in Oregon since I have relatives in Central Oregon and I just LOVE to go there. I haven’t really decided yet.

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Thanks for sharing your experienced.

I did about 50 a month for mostly the same client very geographically situated and done in 30 minutes no scans
Now i turn away work unless its my fee and i know I’ll be paid within 5-7 days .or less.
My renewal for nna and background check.
Comes up soon.i am not sure i feel like bothering
Its just not fun and they act like they’re doing you a favor .when its the opposite
5578 signings …never an error

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Impressive but a bit greedy unless you were running orders for a single title company. That’s half a dozen notaries that were left out of the EOM rush.

I felt the same way about renewing my background check again. Really had to think about it but I did it anyway. It’s tough to let it all go after working so hard.

No travel between signing is nice. In Orange County, Ca. I did 7 to 14 signs in one day, not today. I’m now in Myrtle Beach, SC, notary commission are good for 10 years, and definitely to volume, but when it comes, I’m ready.

Why are what other notaries have scheduled any consideration in someone’s process?