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January 1, 2022

Who is the authority at a Notary Loan Signing?

Originally published several years ago.

Notary Public Authority

We often ask questions about authority to signing agents, and the results are horrifying. Most Notaries do not know who is in charge of what. So, this article will sum it up clearly.

Notary Public
A Notary Public is a state appointed state official who is paid by customers, but whose “boss” or authority is the state Notary division. Many Notaries Public seem to be confused as to who their boss is, the one paying them or the one commissioning them. The problem is further complicated by the fact that the ones paying them often pay them for more than just Notary services as travel, pick up, drop off, and supervision of non-notarized signatures and packages seem to be part of the deal if you are a Signing Agent.

The Notary is the sole authority regarding what goes in a Notary certificate such as an Acknowledgment, Jurat, etc., what goes in the journal, what is allowed or not allowed, and how a notarization should be done.

It is common that Notaries have questions during a loan signing and direct those questions to the Lender or Title representative. This is okay for Title or Lending questions, but not for Notary questions where the Notary may only turn for help to their state Notary division, official Notary handbook, or perhaps the NNA hotline.

Notaries should NOT ask the Lender for Notary advice because:
1. The Lender is probably not a Notary
2. If the Lender is a Notary they might be in a different state
3. If the Lender is a Notary and in the same state they might not be knowledgeable.
4. If the Lender is a Notary, in the same state, and knowledgeable, they might (are likely to) give you advice that would make the job go more smoothly for them, yet have tremendous liability for you.
5. You are the one appointed to the job, so even if the person you are asking for advice is a Notary, they are not the one whose commission number gets put on the certificate, and you are the one going to jail if something goes wrong. Therefor, you have to know your laws and what you can and cannot do, etc.

Who can initial and where?
Any initials on a Notary certificate are done exclusively by the Notary Public. It looks like tampering if the borrower or anyone else makes marks on a Notary certificate. The borrower may initial documents, but not the Notary certificate or Notary section in or attached to a notarized document

The Lender
The Lender is the “boss” of what happens with loan documents. If the Lender authorizes a change, initialing, cross outs, etc., on an actual loan document that is NOT in the notary section, that is up to them and they are the authority on that matter, not the Notary. The minute the issue becomes with a Notary certificate, then the authority swings over to the Notary (even if the Notary doesn’t have a clue what to do.)

The Title Officer
The appointed Title company might be a good source of information about how to handle any issues that might come up with Title documents or recorded documents. You can ask them if you have questions, but don’t let them answer Notary questions.

Issues of Preference can be asked to the Lender
Sometimes there is more than one legal way to handle a situation. If there is an error on a preprinted Acknowledgment, and your state allows a choice of crossing out & initialing vs. using a fresh Acknowledgment form, you have a choice. The Notary has the right to make that choice on his/her own and choose the option that he/she feels is more prudent or ask the Lender. However, this is a situation where the Notary can ask the Lender not for advice, but for preference. If the Lender would prefer a loose Acknowledgment stapled on to the document rather than crossing out & initialing the original form, the Notary can proceed accordingly.

The Borrower
The borrower has the right to sign, not sign, tell you where to park and more. Their preferences matter as well.

Your State
Your state Notary division decides what the laws are in your state, how they are explained or document in your official Notary handbook, etc. They are your boss, so you do whatever they say. Additionally, if you are weak on your Notary knowledge, that can lead to ending up in court as a witness, having your commission revoked, suspended or terminated. Additionally, it is possible to be convicted of a crime if you are thought to be involved in property related fraud, or if you filled out a form stating that an Oath was taken when in fact it was never taken which is a daily fraud that most Notaries engage in that is unacceptable.
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You might also like:

Does 123notary have the authority to quiz people?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19469

Notary Public 101 Quiz Questions
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19520

Do you keep a journal to please your state, a judge, the FBI or 123notary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19483

13 ways to get sued as a Notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19614

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August 14, 2021

Being a notary vs. waiting on table

Filed under: Humorous Posts — admin @ 8:00 am

When I have new notaries on board, I normally give them a welcome call. I asked one guy what his professional background was. He told me he was a Notary for a month. I told him that a month doesn’t constitute a professional background, but that a 20 year teaching background would. Then he said that he was a Real Estate intern for half a year. Finally, I asked him, “Are you young?” I forget that young people don’t have a professional background or necessarily know what one is. But, if they keep having a boring and dull life going into the office, they will attain one in 10 short years. But, what about being a waiter?

WAITER: Welcome to Mel’s Diner, can we interest you in a drink?

CUSTOMER: I’ll have the jackhammer.

WAITER: Can I see some ID?

CUSTOMER: I’ll sign the journal, but I won’t thumbprint.

WAITER: Hmmm. So, what’s your sign?

CUSTOMER: I’m a Leo.

WAITER: So, you were born, July 28th, 1997.

CUSTOMER: You are trying to trick me. I was born the 29th.

WAITER: I wasn’t trying to trick you. I have bad eyesight. And I don’t use a journal because my state doesn’t require waiters to use a journal.

NOTARY: You sound like a Notary in one of those states that doesn’t require journals. But, when you get busted by the FBI and the journal is your only evidence that you weren’t involved in a serious act of fraud, you could get put in jail or end up in court forever.

WAITER: Good point. What if someone orders an illegal drink with a fake ID, I don’t keep a record of it, and he gets in his car, runs someone over, and I get blamed. That “journal of official waitorial acts” could be my only defense.

CUSTOMER: I never thought of that. You know, you CAN thumbprint me. I even brought my NNA thumbprinter.

NOTARY: Are you a Notary too?

CUSTOMER: Not yet, but I’m going to become one, and I’m learning something right here about being a Notary. It can be a dangerous job if something goes wrong.

NOTARY: It’s like driving. It’s safe 99.9% of the time, and then something unusual happens and then only your seatbelt can help.

WAITER: Many people don’t like precautions unless they sound like Covid-19 precautions — then they like endless restrictions and precautions.

CUSTOMER: If I were running this joint I would say — you can have that jackhammer, BUT ONLY if you sign this journal. But, you can’t sign the journal unless you wash your hands three times and say hail Mary, and then walk around in a circle counter clockwise, use a sanitized pen, and then sign it wearing an N-95 facemask.

NOTARY: How about sound effects. If someone orders a jackhammer, shouldn’t that come with sound effects. Maybe get some sampling?

WAITER: How about this? “Chu chuh chuh chuh chuh…… HEY SULLY, we’re that pipe you brought ovuh? chuh chuh chuh chuh …. WHAT? I CAN”T HEAR YOU. I got my ear plugs on.”

CUSTOMER: Wow, that changed the whole customer experience in an even better way than those meaningless restrictions.

WAITER: Sully says he likes the part about the hail Mary as you go around three times.

NOTARY: Is Sully a real person?

WAITER: He’s real to me! So, let me guess. Would you like to try a virgin Notarita?

NOTARY: Sounds great, but the drink sounds underaged. I don’t want to get in trouble.

CUSTOMER: It’s okay, the drink has been aged 21 years. We just need to make sure that you are of proper age and sound of mind.

NOTARY: Here’s my ID. Wow, this is like life in reverse.

WAITER: So you could notarize that drink because it’s old enough.

NOTARY: It’s age is passing, but it doesn’t have an ID.

WAITER: But, it does have a signature — in fact it’s our signature drink.

NOTARY: In that case, that makes it okay. So, honestly, are all of your clients as interesting as us?

WAITER: Some are a lot more interesting. But, it’s hit and miss, especially the ones who forgot their ID.

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April 28, 2021

Tips for getting more assignments as a new Notary

Filed under: Advertising — admin @ 9:50 am

Here are a few tips for the new folks to get more business.

1. Take jobs that others won’t.
Most Notaries are picky. They want the best jobs for the highest price from the nicest companies. If you are trying to develop a reputation and get signings under your belt, do the opposite! Take signings that are far away, pay little, involve a lot of fax backs, or sound difficult. You have to get your foot in the door.

2. Advertise on all the major portals and directories
Snapdocs, 123notary, Notary Rotary, Notary Cafe, and others

3. Advertise in more counties on 123notary
We don’t even charge for this. Once you are listed you can have up to 12 counties, and sometimes we can accommodate for more. If the database cannot accommodate them on one listing, we can create additional listings which generally is not free, but for an affordable cost if you want a larger net.

4. Call all signing companies in the nation that are doing a lot of business. Talk to all title companies within 90 minutes of you as well. If they need pick up and delivery, you might be their person.

5. Having mobile equipment helps
Mobile printing, scanning, faxing really helps. But, if your equipment is at home, make sure to have a dual tray printer, a reliable scanner, fax, and whatever else your clients say they need.

6. Network
Get listed with your local chamber of commerce, let local hospitals, Attorneys, nursing homes, airports, jails, bail bonds people and Real Estate brokers know you are in business. Often they have their own Notaries, but people get sick, quit, or won’t notarize due to conflict of interest.

7. 25K E&O Insurance
This is the minimum, but some people get up to a million to let people know they are serious. An absolute beginner should probably stick to 25 or 100K. But, you an upgrade if you start getting title work because the title companies want more.

8. Let everyone know you are a Notary
People often need a Notary and it is handy if one lives nearby who people know. Mention you are a Notary on your Facebook page, Twitter, at networking events, to your neighbors, the local stores, and anyone else you can think of.

9. One certification is good, but…
It is good to be “certified”, but having three or four certifications lets people know you are three or four times as serious as the others.

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April 4, 2021

Notarizing During Covid – by Muthiah

Filed under: Other Guest Bloggers — Tags: — admin @ 5:30 am

There is no user manual for performing notarizations during Covid other than the generic precautions offered by the CDC.

I have performed a few mobile notarizations over the past 6 months after the onset of the Covid pandemic and have the following advice based on my experience.

First and foremost, recognize that MONEY cannot buy HEALTH. Therefore, be prepared to walk away for a mobile assignment under the following situations. This is not an exhaustive list for a good starting point.

1. Avoid traveling to hospitals, Jails and Nursing Homes even if the signer offers to
pay you more money. COVID is more rampant in these facilities and so don’t
expose yourself to an environment that is conducive to COVID.

2. Ask lots of pertinent questions on the phone such as if they have COVID, if they
have come in contact with anyone who has COVID or if they are under
quarantine orders by the health department. Often times you can tell when
speaking to someone if they are not giving you a straight answer. If you have
even a remote suspicion that you may be walking into a COVID environment, you
should not accept the assignment.

3. Make sure that the place you are going to notarize is spacious so that you can
distance yourself and be safe.

4. When you get to the place that you are notarizing and find that the signer is not
wearing a mask or if there are too many people in a small space or if something
there makes you uncomfortable, just walk away. Remember your health and your
family’s health is more important than the money you get paid.

If you are completely comfortable only then perform the mobile notarization.

Muthiah Nachiappan

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March 18, 2021

Don’t repeat your name in your notes

Filed under: Your Notes Section — admin @ 4:44 am

When people look at the search results, they see your name, city, phone, cell, and the top of your notes. If you repeat your name in your notes or that you are a commissioned notary in the state of Delaware, you are wasting space.

The reader ALREADY knows you are a notary in Delaware, otherwise why would you advertise on 123notary in the Delaware section? — Unless you were insane… They already know your name is Rhonda as it says two lines above that you are Rhonda. Do you need to tell them twice? That space at the top of your notes could be used to tell them what makes you different from the other notaries. Perhaps you visit jails, hospitals, do debt consolidations, or are good with pets.

The bottom line, or in this case the top 200 characters are that you should not tell people something they either already know or do not need to know. Tell them salient features about your notary service, experience, or designations.

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March 6, 2021

The safety of our Notaries is our top priority! — a Covid story

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 4:26 am

A signing company called a Notary on our site. The Notary found out the borrower had Covid-19 and called back to decline the job. The signing company said, ‘We understand. The safety of our Notaries is our top priority.”

The next thing you know, the same signing company offered the job to a friend of the Notary in a nearby town. If the signing company cares so much about “safety,” then why would they send someone to an infected person’s house? So much for “safety.” The other Notary took the assignment.

So, the question is, how should we be “safe?” If someone has Covid-19 or even a cough at this point they are banned from society. They are prohibited by law from going to any store, or even a medical clinic. At my acupuncturist they take your temperature before they let you in the door — or they used to. I think they got bored with that or perhaps it’s no longer a requirement. The people who need help the most can’t get it. And getting food? Sorry, you don’t qualify. It’s all about being “safe” by violating your rights. Hitler made lots of unnecessary restrictions and claimed it was for people’s “safety” too. So, whenever someone restricts you to be “safe,” think of good old Adolf.

Ironically, one of my favorite people is Adolfo. He is a bar tender, musician, and really cool guy from Texas. I feel that he brings honor to the name Adolf. And that’s one of the cool things about being Hispanic. You can name your kid Jesus, Adolfo, or Israel, and get away with it without an ounce of criticism. Imagine being white in a Jewish part of New York City being named Adolf in 2020. At any rate, my diversion about Hitler had very little to do with anything, but I wrote it to keep you “safe.”

The bottom line is that if the signing company cared about “safety” they would not offer a Covid-19 signing to anyone, but would make someone with immunity stand 10 feet away from the signer on the porch and slide the documents back and forth.

Personally, if you are under 50 and in good health, you are more in danger of dying in a traffic accident on the way to the signing than from Covid-19. But, the media doesn’t try to brainwash you into being afraid of traffic accidents in 2020.

But, my psychic says that in 2021, the media will find new things to terrify you about. Every day they will show photos of people who died in car accidents and suggest that you don’t drive because it is dangerous. They will keep a daily tab of how many died, and in what state from — you guessed it — car accidents. Car crashes — don’t let it happen to you! Then in 2022 they will scare you about eating processed foods and how you will get cancer if you do. Then in 2023, call phone radiation will become linked to cancer, and we will all have to go back to the stone age. Each year a different brand of fear mongering. I can’t wait to see what the scare is for 2024. This is even better than Halloween attractions involving masked men with chain saws.

At any rate, thanks for reading this blog and remember to hide in your basement for the rest of your life. Leaving it would put you in mortal peril. You might die in a car accident, from Covid, or get shot by unruly gangs of people that Cuomo released from jail for no particular reason other than to stick to an insane narrative. And remember — always be “safe”.

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February 13, 2021

Fighting tyranny my way

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 3:14 am

In order to fight the Marxismization of the USA, and tyranny, we must understand the power structure and how to apply pressure at the various levels of the chain of command.

TOP: Deep State & State Supreme Court Judges

MIDDLE: Governors

LOWER: Police & Sheriff & County Health Departments

LOWER(ER) Businesses subjected to unfair restrictions

LOWEST: We the people!!! (low, but dignified)

CHECK & BALANCE: Federal courts sometimes can help resolve local issues. I am not an Attorney and don’t know how that works. but, our checks and balances have been infiltrated by Marxists who oppose freedom of religion because it would be “suicide” according to a Federal circuit court in regards to a California case about freedom of assembly within religious buildings.

HOW I SEE IT

The deep state appears to be bribing judges and governors in many if not all states. Nobody quite knows who they are or how to stop them… for now. China might possibly be involved too. My psychic senses tell me the deep state is a bunch of rich board members who mostly live in Idaho who want power (but live off the grid so they have to generate their own power.) Unless you are a very good spy, it will be hard to figure out who the deep state is, but I think Trump is working on it.

The Supreme Court can shut down the power of a Governor to make executive orders, but they very rarely do, and when they do, they take forever. In California it took eight months for them to stop Newsom from making executive orders that contradict existing legislature. However, he still has orders that contradict with laws about discrimination against people with breathing disabilities via his face mask order.

The police in Los Angeles DO NOT enforce Covid related laws. They also do not protect us from discrimination as they see that as an issue for Attorneys.

The health department can shut down restaurants for disobeying orders that are arbitrary, tyrannical and unconstitutional that did not go through a system of checks and balances.

We the people in California sit and watch our rights being stripped from us by autocrats and oligarchies that do not function in an American system of checks and balances made by arbitrary orders that are not even laws and are far from constitutional as they normally violate our liberty and our freedom to assemble.

THE SOLUTION
California’s solution is to recall the governor, and we have gotten almost a million signatures. But, recalling takes time, and there is no guarantee that the next idiot in charge will be any better than the original as they are controlled by the same deep state and are not subjected to a system of checks and balances as the court system is limp and mainly dysfunctional.

I suggest a system of concerned citizens putting pressure on all levels of the system.

We should put daily pressure on the police and sheriffs to protect houses of worship from tyrannical shutdowns and allow businesses to function normally with full rights.

We the people should put pressure on the health department to not enforce covid-19 restrictions. The penalty for non-compliance with citizen demands would be severe harassment, protests and mass civil disobedience.

Restaurants, stores, churches, and other entities should stay open and defy oppressive attempts from authoritative organizations to suppress them. Fines for noncompliance should not be paid out of principle no matter what the consequence — even if it is jail time.

The supreme court judges or justices should be tried on charges of treason for failing in their duty to provide checks and balances and stop unconstitutional orders from being originated.

SUMMARY
The basic problem of the disaster of California is seen as a problem with a single human being — namely Gavin Newsom. He is a big problem, but I believe he is only responsible for less than 1% of California’s problems with unfair executive orders. The remaining percent of the problems are due to the fact that the courts allow him to do anything, law and health enforcement don’t stop him, and we the people sit and do nothing.

Covid-19 restrictions are not something temporary that will just go away. They are part of a larger undermining of American freedom and government that will strip us of our rights, money, freedom, government, culture, and anything that means anything to us. We will be completely destroyed if we don’t fight back. You cannot rely on Donald Trump alone to save you because he hasn’t saved anyone. Biden will sell us down the river. It is up to we the people to save America. Start putting pressure on the various levels of authority now!

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January 11, 2021

Travel fees if nothing gets signed

Filed under: Notary Fees & Pricing — admin @ 10:55 pm

It is common for Notaries to go to a job where the signer refuses to sign, or the job gets cancelled. What can the Notary charge for a travel fee since he/she/they didn’t “do” anything? The answer is that the most important aspect of this issue is not what you charge but what you explain over the phone. The client/signer needs to be painfully (the more pain the better) aware that the notary’s schedule is not for free and that they have to pay x amount of dollars even if nothing gets done as well as waiting time.

It is a generally prudent policy to get travel fees in cash at the door upon arrival before seeing the signer. This is because you need to be able to be impartial and have no beneficial or financial interest in a document being signed. If your $50 travel fees is contingent on Sammy signing the Affidavit, you will be tempted to notarize it even if the ID doesn’t match completely. As a Notary, you need to not be tempted to wiggle on state notary rules, and having your travel fee in your pocket puts the power and integrity back in your pocket. It’s hard to be integrous when money is at stake.

If someone gives you $40 travel fee which includes the first 20 minutes waiting time, and then keeps you waiting more than that, since you have the $40 in your pocket, you can demand cash for the next twenty minutes or threaten to walk. People will string you along in this line of work so it is important to keep the upper hand, or as Mrs. Meao likes to say — the upper paw!

The bottom line is that communication of signing fees over the phone before the signing is the most important solution to the travel fee issue. Fail to communicate — you might not get paid at all. So, communicate not only what the client will have to pay, but terms and conditions for what gets paid when and how much. Also, be careful with checks. Signers who cancel jobs sometimes bounce checks or stop payment. It happened to me after a very time consuming jail job. I bet Mrs. Meao would have something to say about that!

You might also like:

Why are the fees offered to us so low?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=22293

What are mobile notary fees?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21383

See our “fees” category
http://blog.123notary.com/?cat=2070

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January 3, 2021

How do you define “pandemic?”

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 12:08 am

What is a pandemic, and how do you know you are in one.

LADY: How can you go to work when we are in the middle of a pandemic?
GUY: How do you define pandemic?
LADY: Lots of people are dying. It’s an emergency!!!

There are several facts one should know about pandemics, particularly the “fakedemic” we are in now.

1. Covid19 is real, but only has a high death rate for people over 70, and a few very vulnerable people younger than that.

2. Hospitals get paid several thousand extra per death if they record the death as a Covid19 death. This could be considered bribery, or an invitation to corruption.

3. There are no definitive standards for what constitutes a Covid19 death. Many (roughly 25%) of the Covid deaths happened without the dead party being proven positive for Covid19.

4. The remaining 75% of Covid19 deaths consist of:
People who had Covid before , got over it, and died of something else
People who had Covid, but got hit by a bus, had a motorcycle accident, etc.
Those who had Covid but died of another lung complication such as the flu, or pneumonia
People who died solely of Covid which account for roughly 1-3% of the grand total of Covid19 Deaths.

5. The real total of people who died solely of Covid might be around 20,000, and those who died primarily of Covid might be about 40,000 to 80,000, but not whatever the total is these days which is coming up to 300,000 in the USA.

6. According to Judaism, a Pandemic is defined as an infectious disease that kills 3 in 500 people per day. In California Covid19 kills less than 2 people per Million per day. We would need 4000x the quantity of deaths (not cases) to qualify as a pandemic according to Judaism.

7. According to common sense, a Pandemic would be a situation where all hospitals are overflowing, the military is there, constant sirens, ambulances, helicopters moving the sick to where they could be cared for and moving the dead around. During the worst of the “pandemic” in NYC they did have bodies stacked up in the morgue, and overflowing hospitals. But, they did not use military hospitals. The rest of the country did not have such a drastic or desperate situation.

8. I see a pandemic of insanity, madness, and a lack of common sense. People believe everything the biased lamestream media tells them without scrutinizing the information or comparing it to other sources. We have fake pandemics, fake elections, fake news, fake impeachments, fake genders, and fake food. We seek to solve our pandemic with a man-made fake solution, namely a vaccine.

9. This plandemic is more like a horror movie where the evil scientist with a German accent creates a deadly virus, and has the cure for it locked up in a freezer compartment looking forward to selling it at a huge margin. But, in the end of such movies, the mad scientist gets locked up and the resilient people recover. In our case, the mad scientists are in China and backed by God knows who. I don’t see them going to jail.

10. Due to this plandemic, America has forgotten the hundreds of thousands of brave souls who fought so that we could have freedom, a constitution, and rule of law. Now, we are living under tyranny. States are putting respectable businesses in the food and entertainment industry permanently out of business all in the name of “safety.” The bigger problem is that the system of checks and balances doesn’t seem to be functioning. The courts let governors act as emperors and the people do not complain too loudly, even in gun toting redneck states (yee-haw).

Summary
Unless the people wake up and decide that yes, the constitution, liberty, freedom from tyranny, and a good economy matter (just as much as black lives matter), then we will either not have a country much longer, become Marxist, or have a broken economy, political system, and everything else. We are moving fast in that direction .But, why? Because of a pandemic of irrational thinking, a lack of common sense, and a hundred-fold overreaction to Covid Covid, oh my God Covid!

According to Judaism, the spiritual root of infections diseases are:
1. Improper use of speech such as slander, lying, jealousy, abusive speech and others.
2. Improper sexual behavior such as premarital sex, homosexual behavior, etc.
3. Violent behavior. In America there is a lot of spousal abuse, child trafficking, gang violence, etc.

A vaccine can save you from this current pandemic (maybe), but will not save you from God. If God feels you go around lying, cheating, slandering, and bearing false witness against your neighbor which has been huge, especially in politics since 2014 (much huger than normal in my opinion) then he will get you some other way. You can hide fro Covid, but you cannot hide from God

The contents of this article are some high quality, analytical, back to reality and solid spiritual principles which even atheists can get at least on a moral level. Only 20% of Americans (rough estimate) are thinking logically, the others are completely impossible to reason with and let their fear and emotions dictate their opinions. I do not feel it is safe to have your life run by a majority of insane lunatics. Think deeply about what I just said.

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December 2, 2020

Everything you need to know about writing a great notes section

Originally posted Feb 1, 2016.

Most Notaries underestimate how critical it is to have an amazing notes section on your listing on 123notary.com. They just write how they are background screened and have E&O insurance. They stop there. Yes, this is important information and it can be a deal breaker if you don’t have the right background screening from the right agency, etc. However, the Notaries who get lots of work from 123notary tend to have 123notary certifications, reviews from satisfied clients and a very thorough notes section. So, what is the secret? The secret is to be specific, unique and well organized in what you write about yourself.

(1) Selling Features
The top of your notes section should stress selling features. What can you say about yourself that others might not be able to say that would make someone want to hire you. “I’m reliable.” Everyone claims to be reliable, and then they show up late making a mockery out of their claim. Try something that you can put your finger on. But, I really am reliable? Yes, but your notes section can’t prove it — so skip it. Instead, let’s think about what types of loans you know how to sign. Don’t just say, “all types.” List them one by one. Do you have some unusual qualifications? Were you Notary of the year? Do you do jail or hospital signings? Are you fluent in Uzbekistani hill dialects? These are things that help you stand out. Were you a CEO of a Mortgage company? That helps too. If you have Escrow, Title, Underwriting, Processing, Settlement, or general Mortgage experience, that is a huge plus on your notes section. Make sure to indicate that high in your notes. Remember — the first 200 characters of your notes show up on the search results for your area, so digress to impress! (actually don’t digress, but use that space to squeeze in as many selling features as possible)

(2) Specialties
One of the most valuable pieces of information you can include in your notes are your specialties. Instead of bragging about how you are error-free or dependable (which nobody wants to read,) instead list the types of loans you know how to sign, types of major documents or procedures you are familiar with. Do you go to airports, offices, or jails? Do you do Weddings or Apostilles? People are very impressed when you have highly specialized skills, so mention them.

(3) # of loans signed
Most Notaries up date the # of loans signed once in four years. When I mention that their profile says they signed 200 loans, they say, “Oh, that was five years ago. I must have forgotten to login — I’ll go in there.” You need to “go in there” and update your info every few months or you will have information that is collecting cyber-dust.

(4) What is hot and what is not?
Radiuses are hot. If you have a wide radius, tell the world. 100 mile radius shows you are serious (or crazy.) Last minute signings are a good thing to mention. Do you accept faxes or are willing to do fax backs? That narrows it down. Are you background screened? Is it by NNA or Sterling or someone else — if you’re screened by the wrong agency, you don’t get the job! Do you know how to do eSignings? That will make you stand out!

(5) Professional memberships and certifications
Are you NNA Certified, Notary2Pro certified, 123notary certified, or trained by some other agency. It is impressive especially if you have four or five certifications. Mention these as well as your memberships. But, please don’t say you are an NNA member in good standing. The only way to be in bad standing with any agency is by not paying your bills or perhaps being convicted of a felony.

(6) What is unique about your service?
Is there something unique about the way you do your work? Or do you have a catchy unique phrase about yourself? It is very hard for most people to think of anything unique about themselves. But, if you really put some thought into it over an extended period of time you might come up with something good. We have two blog articles below with some of the best unique information we’ve ever seen.

(7) Avoid vagueness
Did you work for 10 years in the legal industry? What does this mean? Were you the company president or did you mop the floor for an Attorney. State your job title or what you did very clearly. If you were a legal secretary of Paralegal, that is good to know. Not a selling feature. Additionally, try to be specific about your claims. Rather than saying how good you are with people, give a concrete example of how you are good with people, or what experience you have that proves you are good with people.

Also read:
General (vague) vs. specific information in your notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4602

(8) Avoid restating information
Many Notaries restate their company name, their company mission, phone and email in your notes. Your notes is to give additional information about your service, and not to restate what the reader already knows. Remember, those top 200 characters go in the search results, and if you say, “We are here to serve” nobody will click on you.

(9) Counties served
There are 12 boxes where you can indicate your counties served. If you wish to restate this info in your notes, put it near the bottom as this is not a selling feature. If you want to indicate which parts of which counties you serve, the notes section is the only place to go into such detail. Others choose to mention specific towns or cities served. Please avoid stating which zip codes you go to as that is too nit-picky.

(10) Writing about your mentor
New Notaries always want to bend my ear about how they don’t have experience, but their mentor has signed 10,000 loans and they have been to many signings with their mentor. After hearing ten minutes about their mentor I say, “I’ll hire him — I’m convinced — But, I wouldn’t hire you in a million years because you don’t stand on your two feet!” Don’t talk about your mentor. Talk about what training programs you have passed.

(11) Writing about your Real Estate background
Notaries regularly write, “I am a Realtor and therefor am familiar with the documents.” But, when I quiz them on the documents they fail almost every time. Also, many Notaries will write three paragraphs about their Real Estate business or Process Serving, etc. People are coming to 123notary to find a great Notary, not a Real Estate agent. If you want to quickly mention in the middle of your notes that you are a Realtor, that is fine, but don’t make it the central point of your notes.

(12) Educational background
If you want to write about your degrees or former professional experience, unless it is Mortgage related, it should go in the middle or lower middle part of the notes as it is not critical information in the eyes of the reader.

(13) Equipment
Yes, you can write about your equipment. Sometimes we recommend using bullet points for quick points such as E&O, certifications, and equipment. You can mention what type of printer, scanner, fax, or mobile office you have. Just don’t put this up top. It belongs in the middle or lower middle of your notes.

(14) Closing statements
Some Notaries choose to have a closing statement while others don’t. We like it when Notaries do. You can say, “Thanks for visiting my listing.” Or say something a little more unique.

(15) Don’t jumble everything in one paragraph
A good notes section is divided into several logical sections. We normally like to see an intro with selling features, an about you paragraph, some bullet points, and a closing statement. There are many formats for winning notes section and you can decide what is best for you.

(16) Ask for help
123notary gives free notes makeovers. However, we cannot write the content for you. We can filter and reorganize it though. When we redo people’s notes sections they average an increase of 55% more clicks per day to their listing. So, ask! And get some reviews on your listing while you’re at it!

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Other Great Notes Articles

How to write a notes section if you have no experience
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4173

10 quick changes to your notes that can double your calls
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4499

What goes where in your notes?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=1076

2014 excerpts from great notes sections
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=13613

Unique phrases from people’s notes sections
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14690

Stating the obvious in your notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14146

A Notary included a copy of her testimonial in her notes
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4680

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