Believe you haven’t really thought this thru. While cost of living may be less in rural/small town-type states, generally, the locations are miles & miles away with lots of slow-going rough roads.
Had one recently where my actual gas-cost was $21.76…that’s a lot of miles & travel TIME.
I do agree that there is a ‘process issue’…and lay that on platforms where there doesn’t seem to be any intelligence involved. Just click on names and take the cheapest.
The best way to work with local companies is through the Real Estate agent (Title companies work for Realtors). Let me explain. When approaching a Realtor you offer them a service. I have a decent camera and I will take the photos of their properties and put together a nice flyer free of service. Remember you are licensed, insured, and bonded Notary. The realtor ask whats the catch? I say I can be your personal signing agent for any signing company. I’m here for a great experience for you and your clients. At your closing you bring the closing gift and I ask for referrals. Win Win for both of us.
The realtor put your name in the contract for $150 (example) and the title companies will have to use you. (Its in the contract) Sandra PS Don’t spend your money on those online webinar. That’s really how they are making their money.
I think your experience should be reflected in the reviews that Mark Wils has on YouTube, LinkedIn, BBB where they have A+, Google, etc. I was just looking them up today and if you were to go by what you see on these socialmedia forums you would think he walked on water and all notaries were making 6 digits. Those of us who have lived through the last 15-20 years of doing this job know the reality…it is UP and DOWN and it can happen in what feels like overnight. It is a very RARE occassion that closers who work on their own independently make $10k or anything close to what they are teaching. With these classes online we have had a huge flood of new notaries and like anything else it is a demand environment so our fees have plummeted due to the over abundance of notaries and less closings to go around. Local title companies rarely call notaries direct, most do use 3rd party services.
I agree with your statements here it kind of makes me want to know more about population growth and overpopulation statistics I know that subject is pretty controversial hahah.
Idk. I had a signing a few months back. It was the signer’s 4th closing on the same property. the first 3 attempts the NSA messed up. They sent the same NSA out there 3 times. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. So a second chance to learn from your mistake I get it. But a 3rd. Why would you put your borrower through that? This tells me some just don’t care they want the cheapest labor and will filter them out, keep the cheapest best NSA they can get. They’re even outsourcing the schedulers overseas. They are saving hand over fist make you wonder. So do they really want a Professional, Courteous, Consistent, Borrower Friendly, Knowledgeable NSA whos a great team player and never drop the ball or do they just want to increase their profit? Cause when they pay you that $65 or whatever the borrower isn’t seeing the difference. From my research, they don’t care. However, I think it’s gonna bite them in the but a few years from now. When the unethical stuff gets out and the aftermath of it hits the fan or lights shine on it. We will see, or not.
Wow I can’t imagine and the outsourced overseas customer service…
I’ve actually posted a bit of my experiences and asked some questions under his videos and he usually just responds, “Sign up for my course and I’ll teach you how to do it! :)” … I imagine I’d spend 500 dollars for him to say “Work hard and smile” or something. And it’s surprising to me that not one of his students has leaked this magical script. I mean, what could he possibly have come up with that isn’t some variation of “Hi, I’m a notary and would like to work with you”?
Just got off the phone with a local EO who I did work for here. She said that not only do the EOs do their own closings in house, but they also don’t necessarily charge for their notarial services. So, if they were to use someone like me, my fee would be an added cost to the signer outside of the normal cost… What gives Nashville?? lol. Needless to say, I’ve been applying to regular jobs every day as a backup. Between the complete flop from direct marketing and the super inconsistent and lottery like nature of signing services… Not seeing much of a future here in TN. Maybe California is the only place you can “MAKE 6 FIGURES” like Mark Wills and all of his students on YouTube. Bummer. I really liked being my own boss…
I think bookkeeping and tax prep and Amazon FBA would compliment NSA work really well.
You may see the you tube videos but these people put in hard work and it doesn’t happen over night. You received “No” this time but keep going back. You are a stranger and they have to get to know you. Building new relationships takes work. Let them know that you understand they have in-house notaries and maybe someone is on vacation or sick and they need a backup that’s you.
You have the right idea so keep marketing it will happen.
Every Monday he holds a Instagram call at 12p PST. He helps anyone who joins even if you don’t take his course. You can DM him to too with questions. He’s on linked in and Facebook. Also every Thursday we have a mentoring call where we hear from SS owners and other notary signing agents.
Check it out.
Notary is still in business. They are a signing platform we’re signing services go through to get a notary. I’ve done plenty of work with them.
Im sorry, yeah that’s a bummer. In California they don’t have in house notaries because of possible conflict of interest. I do appreciate living here in CA but its still oversaturated. I have another income, I own a mobile spray tanning business. I couldn’t yet survive as a signing agent only. 
Can you explain how there would be a conflict of interest? What would the conflict be? How can there be a conflict in one part of the country and other parts of the country completely disregard it??
Because the document preparers, the in house closers that works for the title company usually cannot have any hand or interest in the transaction. A notary is supposed to be a third party witness to the signing of the loan transaction. That way legally its unquestionable in the event of dispute. Im a paralegal by trade but I cannot prepare a contract document and also notarize it. Conflict of interest in the court of law. Notaries are supposed to be an outside party to the transaction. To be fair.
Same with loans. The preparing party should not be notarized their own docs. Because its in their best interest, to do illegal things to close the loan.
Interesting… That essentially doesn’t exist here in TN. There’s no such thing.
Honestly California has the most strict notary laws, our California Bar exam is hardest in the country too. California will most likely never approve online remote notarizing or whatever it they call that, RON.
I’m actually trying to uplift this profession in Nashville. It only takes like $12 to become one here and I assume people think of it as a silly type of thing. I’m not one to judge. Kim Kardashian made a sex tape and now she’s almost a billionaire, has met with the president, and makes more money in an hour than I do all year. So… it’s all about branding, really. I wonder if there’s a way to make signing agents more popular in other parts of the country???
I actually spoke to an EO today. I brought up the fact of the “conflict of interest” (because I heard someone say it on YouTube) and she didn’t have a clue what I was talking about and honestly neither did I. I also talked about how if she hired me then she could spend that hour getting more work done. She was stumped for an answer. She had never even thought about how beneficial it would be to not have to do the signings herself. But then she dropped the bomb that they didn’t even charge signers for the signing, so the signing itself would be extra… And I honestly don’t know how to convince a whole industry to change their structure on my own.
It’s not like notaries are a friendly bunch. There’s a scarcity mindset among notaries. Holding onto every secret and every job, scared to death of not making enough. I remember texting 15 notaries around me, just asking how they liked the job and how they felt about it. Only got 2 responses. One person was some random person just making 15 bucks a week on general stuff and the other person sent me an email saying “Why would I help you?! You’re the new competition.” Disgusting. Taking small time jobs for “experience” and having no sense of value. It’s pathetic. I’m still brainstorming new ideas, but it’s tough in a profession that has almost no camaraderie (very beneficial to exploitive signing services), protective laws (once again, very helpful to exploitive institutions making notaries fight over 75 dollar refinance text blasts like feral dogs over rotten meat), or a union (NNA is barely helping).
So in your state…are most notaries employees within companies? Not independent contractors like us? If so I completely get your frustration
You are right about some of the EOs using their own notaries. I was reaching out to one EO of a friends long time circle to market. Escrow officer told me they will pass my info around the office. The other day I met up with a friend who had her home signing and they were the EO. Of course I had to ask who the notary was and what went on to find out the the EO signed and notaries themselves all her docs. It sounded like they skip the entire NSA processes in their closing
They’re both (the owner) and the main Escrow officer are from the same culture as me and tend to have the we do everything ourselves mentality which isn’t that profitable in my opinion. Plus they both work like crazy with little help. As an EO I wouldn’t want all the signers coming in and out all day with their transactions when you’ve got a million deadlines to make. Plus they’d be late and managing their schedules and what not, predicting how long the signing will be when I’ve got other things just doesn’t seem like the best thing. In my opinion best to have a person not to the transaction such as an independent NSA confirm the signers and their willingness to the transaction. It’s silly that places try to save cost on one of the less expensive pieces to the closing cost.
