Why are Notaries who do signings charging so little?

PSAs and News
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It’s incredibly frustrating here in California that we are unable to perform Remote Online Notarizations (RON), especially when so many jobs are being outsourced to other states where RON is permitted. Which makes no sense that outside of the state notaries are allowed to notarize for CA, while in CA we are waiting until 2030 at the earliest. It just doesn’t add up to me. I also can’t help but notice that many individuals are accepting shockingly low pay for these signings, which is making it increasingly difficult for this profession to be sustainable. Receiving $40 for a signing is mind-boggling! In fact, many companies seem to be capping payments at around $100.

What’s even more disheartening is that the companies sending us out to these jobs are raking in thousands for each signing, yet their names aren’t on the line. I really wish we could unite as notaries and put an end to this situation. It’s concerning that there isn’t more outrage within our community about these practices. We need to advocate for fair compensation and better working conditions for all of us in this field.

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I hear signers tell me all the time they reject RON because they don’t trust it. I get jobs for properties in CA because the sellers or buyers are in my state so outsourcing a job to another state could have nothing to do with RON.

I see no cap on fees. I only see notaries grabbing jobs at fees that don’t make any profit. One of the problems I see in the industry is the endless lament about fees. It’s not a new complaint. The advent of AI scheduling is what creates the big challenge first come first serve has turned getting an assignment into a speed challenge.

But after quick accepting jobs, notaries are trying to raise the fees and at least two platforms have sent advisories out that trying to get a higher fee after accepting a job is going to result in no work. I countered all offers yesterday and got one of them. But today, I’ll be ready to go when the last minute request comes through. Because there always is one. There are still notaries local to me willing to work for peanuts. I just don’t dwell on the negative aspects of the job. Have a great day.

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@Jcole.colecares Many across the US have the same direct experience that you’ve shared within the excerpt noted above.

As a Notary Cafe forum member it’s your right & privilege to share 'n care your thoughts, experiences, etc. with others as the information is often quite helpful.

Of course, there are always going to be voices in the wilderness regions of the US whose experiences DON’T reflect the REALITY that most of us are confronted with day in & day out ad nauseam. Often, those voices are advocating FOR the Signing Services [SSs] Low-Ball Fees and extended payment intervals . . .

For most Professional Signing Agents [PSAs] who provide these professional services Full-Time, those conditions are untenable as we would be functioning At-A-Loss (working in the Red).

Yes it’s frustrating when some repeatedly beat a drum about everything is fine, when the majority of us when reviewing our Profit & Loss sheets at the end of each month see the impact of reality that things AREN’T fine anymore & haven’t been for several years.

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Of course, most of us counter the paltry offers that are proffered - but nearly ALWAYS there is NO FOLLOW UP as the Signing Order [SO] went to the lowest bidder.

@Jcole.colecares Concur :100: percent!

The ever-present challenge is: How can this be accomplished?

We are Independent Contractors
We set our own custom-tailored Fees
We cover various regions
We are Entrepreneurs
We have physical out-of-pocket expenses that vary by region; i.e., gasoline, turnpike fees, ferry fees, parking fees, paper, toner, pens, binder clips, etc., etc., etc.

To top it all off ===>>> there is one training program that openly advocates FOR accepting Low-Ball fees ‘just to get experience.’

Appears that the Trainer is OBLIVIOUS to (or doesn’t care about) the negative long-term effects on the Fees across the industry . . .

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Agree that it’s challenging to be confronted with the negative impact of others accepting Low-Ball Fees, but thus far no one seems to have a viable solution . . .

Possibly a brainstorming session that includes elements of Thinking Outside the Box would be a good start for the creation of a solution.

:swan:

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Please, no one needs to take this comment personally, okay? It should be obvious that some, probably most of us are not doing this for a living. So why are you all busting your butts to make the middle man money?. Because it gives you a legitimate reason to get out of the house. I would bet that some of you are already doing this job for free, and some are actually losing money. You take all the risk, yet you’re only afraid of getting “Blackballed”.

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I am in a state that allows RON; however they also set a cap of $25 for fees you can charge for any notarization. My cost is $10 per document and $3 per stamp for the platform I use, on top of the $75 fee my state charges for the “online notary commission.” It doesn’t make sense for me to try and direct my clients that way. I make $12 on a single document with 1 stamp the platform makes $13. The only way RON would be benefical for the notary in my opinion is if you live in a state that allows on demand notarizations. That way you can take any down time and sit at your pc and make money.

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From what I’ve heard, you gotta be quick to snag the on-demand blasts-to-all.

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