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January 2, 2011

National Loan Closers

Filed under: Signing Company Gossip — Tags: , , , — admin @ 5:31 am

Here is what Notaries are saying about this outfit.
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3755

Ollie
“Like many of you, our business relationship with NLC started out being
amicable.
However, we just learned that they pay every 61 days–at least for us.
This is called floating; which means instead of your income producing for you (like interest earned), it is producing for them.

We are proponents of receiving our fee the same disbursement day as the buyers and sellers.
The industry normal currently is ‘net 30’. What should be the norm is interest earned on the fee due from the day of disbursement on all completed assignments.
What we will do for companies like NLC is accept assignments by PAYPAL!”

Shannon
“I recently received then declined a signing. When prompted to “select” my fee, I was unable to find a fee greater than $85.00. While certainly there are assignments that might be done for that price (or even less), a loan signing is typically never less than $100 and with printing and other requirements much more likely to be closer to $200.

If indeed your maximum price per signing is $85.00, then I would ask that you remove me from your mailing list and system altogether. Even as a novice Notary back in 2003, Loan Signings in Orange County paid $150. [either way, gas is $4/gal]

I own and operate three (3) Mobile Notary businesses and personally service six Southern California counties. I carry $1MM in Errors and Omissions insurance that blankets my businesses and am NNA and DOJ background Checked and a Certified Notary Signing Agent. I have personally signed over 13,000 loans since 2003. I am truly an expert at what I do. I’d love to hear from you again when your pricing better reflects the value of my services.”

Diana
“BEWARE OF NLC!!!! They are full of excuses when it comes time to pay!! It has been over 60 days for 2 jobs I done for them and No payment.. But I keep getting their “pay policy” emailed!! Of course, it says I should have been paid..LOL.. I guess their not looking at the dates!. I for 1 will Never work for them again.. They are on My Black List!! Good Luck everyone!!”

ldelrey
“I have been with NLC since last year always paid on time, however, this year has been a night mare, I’m still waiting for payment from Jun 8, 11, 12, 2012.I have send the invoice via email 20 times and also call. We are sending checks out by the end of the week…I have not done any closing for July-Thank God…”

.

You might also like:

New Signing Companies
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=new

Signing Company Gossip Feed
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=gossip

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November 29, 2010

Just Say No Article #2

Filed under: Just Say No!,Legal Issues,Technical & Legal — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 12:02 am

Assisting with Immigration issues
If you are not an immigration expert, don’t answer immigration questions and don’t advertise yourself as an immigration expert. However, notaries are allowed to notarize many types of immigration documents. Just don’t give advice.

Assisting with legal advice
If asked for legal advice, if you are not an attorney, please refrain from giving legal advice as it might constitute unauthorized practice of law. Drafting legal documents, i.e. documents to be used in court or submitted to a judge or attorney could constitute legal advice or service (unauthorized practice of law) in many states. Don’t even offer to recommened particular notary procedures for their document, as that also could constitute unauthorized practice of law.

Backdating
Putting a date on a document’s notary certificate section that is previous to the current date is considered backdating and is illegal. Don’t backdate. Many signing companies will ask you to backdate when they are in a pinch and will lose their lock on the borrower’s loan. That is their problem, not yours. If you backdate you could lose your commission if you get caught. It is a misdemeanor in many states to ask a notary to commit fraud, so you can report a company that asks you or coerces you into backdating.

Don’t make notarial recommendations
Customers always ask what type of notarization they should get. You are not allowed to tell them in many states. You can describe the attributes of the various types of notarizations and ask what the document custodian would like too. Just don’t make recommendations.

Letting your boss review your journal
Your boss can not inspect your journal on their own. However, if you are present, then its okay if your boss inspects the journal. The notary should not let the public see journal entries unrelated to their specific business. Its best to make a copy of the journal entry that blocks out other entries to protect the privacy of the others who you notarized. If not all of the notarizations are related to your boss, it would be better if you make a copy of the journal entry in question rather than letting the boss look at the whole journal while you are there.

Blanks?
Don’t notarize a document with blanks in it. The blanks must somehow be filled in or crossed out. Otherwise you must decline from notarizing that document.

Lock up your seal and journal
Not all states require a seal and journal, but these instruments are the exclusive property of the notary and must be kept under lock and key. Don’t let others use them or you can get in big trouble, and so can the person who used them.

Don’t notarize parts of documents
If you are handed page three of a long document, you can not notarize it as a separate entity. Documents must be in their complete form to be notarized. Don’t only notarize the last page of a document — the page that contains the certificate wording either.

Failure to emboss?
Its not required by law to emboss pages, but if you choose to emboss every page of every document you notarized, it becomes difficult to substitute pages of documents without getting caught. Embossers leave a raised seal that can not be photocopied, so you will be detering a lot of funny business using an embosser.

You might also like:

Notaries that fail and what they did wrong!

Everything you need to know about journals

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

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November 4, 2010

The Florida Notary issues and quirks

Filed under: Florida Notary — Tags: , , , , , , , , — admin @ 10:21 pm

Florida Notary Issues and oddities

Understanding a document
A Florida notary public is NOT required to be able to read all documents being notarized by them, but the signer must be able to read the document. The document must either be in English, or a language the signer can read. This is differently worded from many other states. In California, the notary must be able to communicate directly with the signer, but does not need to understand the contents of the document, nor do the contents need to be in English.

Foreign language signers
The notary must be able to communicate directly with the signer without the help of an interpreter in California. So, if the signer brings their children along to help translate, the notary must decline the job unless direct communication is possible. But, in Florida, the statutes do not specify that the notary and signer must be able to directly communicate, but specify that the signer must have the document translated into a language they understand in order to qualify to get their signature acknowledged.

Verifying a VIN #.
Another unusual official act of a Florida notary is to be able to verify a VIN number on a vehicle. The maximum charge for this is $10 per notary act.

Drafting documents
Other states simple forbid notaries from engaging in legal advice, but don’t spell out exactly what legal advice could consist of. A notary public in Florida is expressly forbidden from drafting any type of document for a client — both legal documents and less formal documents. A legal document is often described of one that might be used in court or submitted to a judge or attorney. Additionally, a Florida notary must not fill in blank spaces in documents as that also constitutes unauthorized practice of law or legal advice in FL.

The Florida Notary Manual page 58 states that a Florida Notary should only sell legal forms and type up documents written by their customers.

Disabilities
A notary in Florida may sign on the behalf of a person with a disability if the disabled person requests. Nobody has ever mentioned any rule like this before on any of our forums.

Notarizing for minors
The state of Florida allows notaries to notarize for minors and should ideally document the minor’s age next to their signature.

Incompetency
A notary may not notarize for an individual who doesn’t seem capable of understanding the meaning of the document being notarized.

Marriages – I do!
Florida notaries may solemnize marriages if the couple provides a marriage certificate. ME, NH, and SC, plus one parish in LA are the only other states we have heard of that allow notaries to conduct marriages, but they need a special extra license in NH to the best of our knowledge. The notary may make up their own verbiage for the marriage, and then complete an official certificate for the marriage.

Also Read: Letter to the Florida Notary Division
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19896

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August 3, 2010

Funniest things that happen to Signing Agents

Filed under: Best Humorous Posts,Humorous Posts,Pets at Signings,Popular on Twitter 2010,Popular Overall 2010 — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 4:13 am

Funny situations at signings for signing agents
Signings are usually very normal, but our notaries and signing agents have seen almost everything from roach infested houses, to naked signers, to having a tornado come to the signing. Here are some noteworthy experiences that are from our FACEBOOK profile on May 25th, 2010. WHICH ONE IS THE FUNNIEST?

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If you like this post and would like to receive our FREE notary newsletter, just email us at info@123notary.com and request a subscription. The newsletter has links to new articles, tips, discussions, and information about signing companies for mobile notaries!
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Chicken coops
I had to walk around the chicken coops while he collected just hatched eggs. I brought home a 1/2 a dozen.

The two year old
A two year old decided to take all our blue pens hide them and mom could not find them, Lesson keep more pens in the car.

The angry husband
It was probably when a couple began arguing with me present. The husband yelled that she never let him read anything in peace or make a decision so he took his car keys and screeched out the driveway only to end up accidentally running over his kid’s bike in the driveway. We had to wait for him to return so that he could sign the papers as well but… She kept muttering under her breath that he doesn’t understand what he’s signing so what ‘s the point (had to agree with her he seemed unnecessarily confused). Funny thinking about it now but it was dramatic and awkward then. Only two weird incidents like this but they stick out like sore thumbs lol

5 dogs & 3 kids
As a signing agent, I had to notarize for a couple who had 5 HUGE dogs and 3 super hyper kids, that were taller than me, mind you I’m only 4′ 11″ (in high heels! lol ), before I even rang the door bell, I knew it was going to be a challenging job, there were toys all over the front yard, and of course there was a HUGE gate, that I had to get on a tippy toes in order to reach the latch, I walked to the front door, and sure enough, as soon as one of the kids answered one of their huge dogs decided to jump on me and smell me!! to get to know me of course! lol, oh man, I’m cracking up just remembering! The family was so friendly and full of love, it was not a bad experience at all after I shared all my extra pens and paper with the kids.. they were so sweet they even took my business cards and handed them out to their friends and colleagues, I really appreciate that! All in a notary’s day’s work!!

The mistress
I had called the Borrower the day before to confirm, and for some reason I guess the Wife thought I was the Mistress, because that night at 2am, I received a phone call, screaming at me, yelling at me, asking me why i was cheating with her husband, etc!!!!. When i arrived in the morning to the signing, it was the most awkward thing in the world!!!

He had the H1N1 Virus and died soon after
Was told by the signer if her boyfriend came home to grab the papers and run. That was stressful. But the worst one of all happened in April of this year. The signer was an old man with a walker. He started the conversation with I have the H1N1 virus with a 102* fever. He said “Is that okay with you?”. I told him to go home, get better and then resign. I called a few days later and he had died. Very sad.

The little boy
I went to a signing out in the middle of nowhere. The little boy, probably about 4, comes running out and hugs my legs. The Daddy tells him to get back in bed, he hugs tighter, Dad starts to count to 3.. I tell him you better run. Just as his Dad gets to 3, he tears loose and runs and jumps in bed. Then he yells out.. “Hey Lady, whats your name?”.. I say Susie, he yells out “Good Night Susie”..

The naked daughter
Awkward…at a extravagant house w a couple in the morning. Middle of signing the 3 year old daughter comes running out naked. Wouldn’t stop jumping all over the couches and running around. NAKED.

The argumentative selling agent
I had a sale in which the Selling agent and the Seller were arguing. The Selling agent had called the police because he said their dog had bit him when they conducted the final walk through. The Seller’s insisted it did not happen. It was a hostile closing environment until the agent decided to drop his pants to show the teeth marks on his buttocks! I was in tears from laughing so hard. It remains my funniest closing to date.

Can you help give birth?
I was scheduled to do a closing and the borrower called me the morning of to cancel unless……..I was willing to come to labor and delivery as the wife had gone into labor that morning…..but they really wanted to sign that day. I called the company and they said it was my call. I decided to go. They had to get me cleared through security. We would sign a few pages and take a break, then sign a few more and take a break. I did let them know that they could kick me out at anytime…..lol. We did complete the closing. I didn’t stick around for the birth and don’t know if they named the baby after me or not…..but it has been a great story to tell!

Signing on the hood & Affidavit of &#%
There are a couple of them that stick out in my mind.
1- the request to notarize an affidavit saying this lady never had*****with another ladies husband. people think just because i notarize it it is the truth.
2- the lady who insisted i come to her home at 11 pm and sign documents on the hood of my car, down the block cauz she didnt want her boyfriend to know what she was doing. Oh yeah, she snuck out of the house through a window in her nightgown lol. And she was a fairly large woman.

1 – I went into labor at a signing and tried to hide it from the borrower because the first comment he made when I walked into the front door was, “you’re not going to have that baby today are you?” (I did actually)
2 – I had a borrower on a reverse mortgage closing who was expecting me to arrive with a brief case full of cash because he was receiving $70,000 as a lump sum disbursement. Also, he lived in a mobile home on blocks and planned on putting the cash in a floor safe.

Once you get here we can untie my husband
I accepted a signing and when I inputed the address into my GPS, it turned out to be a hospital. I called the client to ensure I had the correct address and she stated, “yes, we are in the lobby waiting for you. Once you get here we will untie my husband’s hands so he can sign this will.” Needless to say, I cancelled!

The tornado
I was sitting at the kitchen table facing the patio, which was high off the ground, doing a signing. It was cold in the house and I thought the borrower had turned on the heat when she got up, but it was too noisy to be heat. My mouth flew open as a huge stainless steel barbecue grill traveled quickly past the patio doors. What I thought was the heat, turned out to be the freight train sound of a tornado! We looked outside and a tree was down, the legs of their covered swing had gone through the side of the neighbor’s garage, and the people across the street had shingles ripped off a quarter of their roof like you would rip the label off a jelly jar. News crews came to cover the tornado while we finished up the signing. My car and the borrower’s house were fine.

Are you allergic to cats & snakes?
As I walked to the door I knew it was bad..bo meets me asks if I am allergic to cats. Um no. Good she said she has 40 and we go in..She turns and asks what about snakes? Um NO..We walk in and cats and snakes..big ones all in and out of cages all over the place..My lungs hurt from the stench..Got out in a big hurry! Yuk!
 
Let us know which one you think is the funniest, and let us know if you have some funny stories of your own. As you can see, our signing agents have a very interesting life — at least from time to time.
 
Tweets:
(1) The notary was asked to notarize an affidavit that claimed the signer never had $&%
w/the other ladies husband!
(2) One you get here (to notarize) we can untie my husband!
(3) One signer asked, “Are you allergic to cats or snakes?” What kind of signing is this going to be?

Other related reading material.

Compilation of Notary sit-com episodes
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15949
 
Tips on being the worlds worst notary or signing agent
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1910
 
Humorous and interesting posts from the forum
http://www.123notary.com/interestingposts.asp

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August 2, 2010

Typical things notaries do wrong

Filed under: Just Say No!,Legal Issues,Notary Mistakes,Technical & Legal — Tags: , , — admin @ 4:17 am

Typical things notaries do wrong.
Notaries do many things incorrectly, particalar inexperienced, or unschooled notaries.  Clients will ask you to do all sorts of things.  Some things are merely unorthodox, while others are purely illegal.  Here are some things that notaries do wrong.
 
Copies of vital records
From time to time, a notary is asked to notarize a certified copy of a vital record such as a birth certificate, marriage or death certificate.  This is not legal, and not recommended.  It is legal, but not recommended to do what is called a copy certification by document custodian. This notary act is a glorified Jurat, where the individual who is in charge of the document swears to the authenticity of a copy of the document. 
 
Going to hospitals and jails without asking the right questions.
Many notaries don’t want to go to hospitals and jails because they are afraid.  There is nothing to be afraid of, but there are pitfalls.  Many signers in hospitals are elderly and don’t have ID.  Inmates NEVER have ID.  So, the notary must first be sure the signer or their family members / associates have their ID and it is wise to have them read the ID# and expiration date to the notary, so the notary can be sure that they really have the ID and that its current.
 
Leaving seals and journals unattended.
As a notary public, you and only you are responsible for safeguarding your seal and journal.  Even if your boss or co-workers want to use your seal or inspect your journal, its completely illegal. Only the notary can do a journal query, or use their seal.   Carelessly leaving your seal in an unlocked area is also a very serious notary error.  Seals and journals must always be kept under lock and key.
 
Not having the signer present.
Its common for a client to request that a notary notarize a document when the signer is not around. This is completely illegal.  The signer must be  in front of the notary during a signing.  This means within a few feet and able to communicate directly with the notary.
 
Having an interpreter
Many immigrant families have older members who don’t speak English.  They often attend to their business with their children along to explain things and translate.  When they call the notary over, they often don’t explain that the signer can not speak English, since its not a problem due to the fact that they can translate. But, the notary must be able to communicate directly with the signer.  If the signer only speaks Uzbek, and the notary doesn’t speak Uzbek, then the signing is off.   On the other hand, if the document is in Chinese, and the notary only speaks English, that is okay, since the notary is not liable for the contents of the document.
 
Overcharging
The maximum notary fees vary from state to state.  California and Florida are  “generous” offering $10 per acknolwedged signature, while many other states offer as low as 25 cents or two dollars per signature which is hardly enough to make a living.  It is tempting for notaries to charge more than they are supposed to to make it worth their while. This is illegal.  Also, many states have restrictions for what notaries can charge for travel fees.  Many notaries overlook these restrictions.
 
Journal thumbprints and notes
It is critical that notaries get the right thumbprint of the signer in their journal, especially for deeds and powers of attorneys.  This is a great way to deter fraud, and will keep a notary out of court in many instances.  Additional notes are important to keep in a journal too.  If a notary goes to court, they will never remember a signing that took place years ago, unless some notes are kept about anything unusual at the venue of the signing, or anything that is unusual about the signer.
 
Also see:
Everything you need to know about thumbprinting
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4019
 
Backdating
Almost all signing agents will be asked to backdate at one or more times during their career.  Don’t do it.  Backdating is illegal.  Backdating means putting a date prior to the actual date of the notarization on a notary certificate. The date of the notarization is when the signer signs the journal, although the signer can sign a document before the notarization of an acknowledged signature.  Here is some more information about backdating.
 
You might also like:

What do you do if asked to backdate?
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4029
 
What is backdating?
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3920

Signing agent best practices: 63 points
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4315

10 risks to being a mobile notary public
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19459

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August 1, 2010

Business Cards

Filed under: Marketing Articles — Tags: , , , — admin @ 3:53 am

Here are some tips for business cards.
If you are a notary, your business card is one of your best marketing tools. Business cards help existing customers remember who you are and how to contact you. Additionally, it is smart to hand out business cards to co-workers of customers, and other people in any building where you have done a notary job. The fact that they have seen you and know you do notary work makes them ten times as likely to use you rather than someone else. Additionally, you can mail business cards with flyers to title and signing companies who are prospective clients. You can also hand out business cards at convelescent homes, jails, bailbond offices, and other business too, to make yourself known to prospective clients. Having the right information on your business card can make an extra special impression. Here is what you can put.

(1) Your commission #. You will appear more professional and official if your notary commission # is printed on your business card. Of course, when you renew your commission, you will have a different commission #, so you will have to redraw your cards.

(2) A picture of yourself ads personality to the card and this is popular with successful realtors and other professionals.

(3) Great artwork always is a great touch.
I have pictures of Yellow mountain in China on my card.

(4) A registered business name makes you look professional. Many notaries do business using their personal name, but “Ellen’s notary service” looks much more professional than “Ellen Smith, Notary Public”.

(5) A phone number, address, and email address are generally helpful

(6) A link to your social media sites is always good.

(7) Hiring a professional designer to do the layout for you could give your card a great look.

Your opinions are always welcomed!

Here are some forum posts relating to business cards:

Notary Marketing 102 – a free comprehensive marketing course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19774

Business cards
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1062

Do company names help?
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3731

Stealing a business name
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2660

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July 24, 2010

Everything you need to know about advertising

Filed under: Advertising,Comprehensive Guides,How to get work; Who is getting work — Tags: , , , — admin @ 7:09 am

Advertising for mobile notaries.

As a mobile notary, its hard to know what the best way to market your business is. There are so many ways to advertise, many of which are very expensive. So, how do you make sense of this mess? To make it simple, lets divide advertising into several types. Notary directories, yellow pages, and direct marketing.

Notary directories are the best way to market a mobile notary business in 2010. There is not as much work as there was a few years ago, but the work that does exist, is generally assigned from mobile notary directories. 123notary.com, notaryrotary, notarycafe, and signingagent.com are the four most popular notary directories in 2010. It makes sense to get listed on these first, and then consider getting a free listing on a few of the many other notary directories that are out there.

Just being on a notary directory is not enough. You have to have an attractive profile, and good placement. A notary profile with several contact methods, a great notes section, and lots of information on it is ideal. Additionally, notary listings that are certified by the website that is providing the advertising will get significantly more business from their listing than those who are not. Certification requires a certain amount of studying. NNA’s certification is good for two years, while 123notary’s is good for the life of your listing with us. Being listed in multiple county pages is another way to get your listing good exposure. Placement is a big issue at 123notary.com. There is a waiting list for notaries who want to be higher on their local county’s search results. The higher the notary is listed, the more visits to their listing (clicks) and jobs they get. So, it pays to be high on the totem pole, certified, and have a thorough and nicely written notes section.

Yellow pages are another way to market your business. Yellow pages are hit and miss, particularly miss, however, many notaries who have figured out which yellow pages are good, get good business from that source. Start off with free listings, or small ads in several yellow pages, and then see what happens. Online yellow pages will try to sell you expensive banner ads and profiles. Just get a free listing to start out with and track your calls. Many notaries will pay bundles for an ad and not even get one call for it. Yellow page ads will get you more hospital, jail, immigration oriented, last minute travel documents, and office signings, while directories are mostly for loan signings at someone’s home.

Direct marketing is popular among the more agressive notaries. Knocking on doors of attorneys, bailbondsmen, realtors, convelescent homes, neighbors, and local businesses can sometimes turn into some good business. Cold calling nationwide signing companies and local title companies can also turn into some business. Some notaries hang around at jails and airports making themselves available for last minute emergencies and handing out cards to passers by. The most effective direct marketing technique is to give everyone you work for a business card. Make sure you have a nice business card stating you are a mobile notary. Give cards to the others in the office wherever you go. Friends and co-workers of clients will quickly become your loyal client, since they have seen your face and know you are reliable based on the work you did for their co-worker — even if its only based on one visit. This is called warm-market marketing and its powerful. If people know you from even one exposure, they are ten times as likely to use you since they will feel comfortable with you, especially if you introduced yourself to them and gave them a card. Passing out cards at convelescent homes is a proven winner. The patients are immobile and their families will need them to sign powers of attorneys and grant deeds. They can’t make it to a notary office, and will desperately need a mobile notary.

Need more help with marketing?
Try our marketing combo by visiting http://www.123notary.com/loansign.html
Or ask the experts at info@123notary.com

You might also like:

Choosing a business name
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2302

Notary Marketing 102 – The Top of your Notes Section on your Profile
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19750

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July 22, 2010

Getting paid – the ins and outs

Filed under: Business Tips,General Articles,Loan Signing 101,Tips for Getting Paid — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 3:28 am

Many notaries complain to us that they don’t always get paid for their work.

We are very sympathetic. However,  sympathy alone will not help. There are some
simple methods we teach that can save you a lot of grief in the long run. Just follow our steps and you will stay out of trouble.

Accepting jobs from new companies.
When offered a job from an unknown company, ask for references. If they don’t want to give references, that is an easy way to screen them out. If they seem legitimate, you can accept the job. However, immediately after accepting the job, you should do a background check. Background checks can be done on the net in minutes and are easy.

Background check companies that call you
Look companies up on the BBB, 123notary’s list of signing companies, 123notary’s forum, and Notaryrotary’s forum. If you are on the road, use 123notary.com/S where you can look up signing companies on your mobile phone in less than one minute. If a company has more than 10% of reviews posted about them that are serious complaints, think twice about working for them. You are likely to get cheated or have a bad experience.

Track how long it takes particular companies to pay you.
If you regularly work for a particular company, keep track of when jobs got done, and how soon you got paid. You can create statistics on the average amount of days it takes for each company to pay you. If they take more than 60 days, that is seriously delinquent, and you should not work for a company that is regularly delinquent.

Keep good records.
You need to have a separate file for each company that uses you. Its best to use a computer database. Always backup your work and perhaps printout paper records regularly. You need to know who assigned what job on what date, and then check off that job once it gets paid. Write down the date you received payment and the check number. Keep the check stub too.

Have a line of credit for each company.
If signing company “X” owes you $600 and wants you to do more jobs for them, I suggest having them pay you what they owe you before you do any more work for them. Give each company a maximum amount that they can owe you and don’t do any jobs if you are over that number. I suggest starting companies out with a limit of $200 total, and don’t work for them if they owe you anything for more than 45 days. If you have gotten three paychecks from them, you can raise the limit to $300. If you have gotten ten timely paychecks from them, raise the limit to $500. But, the minute a single job goes more than 45 days without pay, stop work for them ASAP, or you could get cheated out of everything. Many notaries get strung along by companies and get cheated out of thousands.

Bill regularly
If you work for a company, they will not always automatically pay you. You have to send weekly invoices for whatever jobs they haven’t paid you for. Make sure you mark off which job they paid for and what the CHECK NUMBER was. If you don’t keep this information and keep check stubs, you will get cheated. If they owe you money more than 30 days, start calling them weekly about what they owe. If they owe you for a single job for more than 45 days, stop working for them until you get paid.

Low pay?
Many notaries complain about companies that don’t pay much. Its better to get low pay than no pay. Times are hard and many people are out of work. Take what you can get. If you are a fancy notary with great connections, you can pick and choose what work you take. If you are desperate for cash, you should take low paying jobs from reputable companies. However, don’t take work from companies with a track record of non-payment, or you will be working for free.

What if companies still don’t pay?
Use our template of a demand letter on http://www.123notary.com/howto-get-paid-signing-agent.htm
This letter works 90% of the time. The times it doesn’t work is when the company is basically no longer in business, or insolvent.

You might also like:

Notary Marketing 102 – Getting Paid
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19794

Protecting yourself with a contract
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2593

What tasks can you do which are worth $1000 per minute?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4113

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July 14, 2010

Social media – what we are doing!

Filed under: Social Media — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 6:51 am

Facebook and Twitter — what we are doing on these mediums.

Marketing introduction
The trends in internet marketing change so fast these days its hard to keep up without a good mentor. New avenues for marketing and socializing online keep popping up, and its difficult to know which ones will last, and which ones will work for us. Twelve years ago when I started as a mobile notary, yellow pages were the optimal way to advertise. Then, I learned how to advertise on the internet. That changed my whole life. To market 123notary.com, I then had to study how to effectively use pay-per-click advertising. The next step was to understand optimization. At that point, I spent close to a year investing and participating in reconfiguring our site to be optimized for better placement on google. As time went on, our webmaster recommeneded social media. We started a forum. The forum accumulated a lot of content, much of it very valuable as it included commentary about signing companies — who paid, and who cheated their notaries. This information is shared and is a means for survival for mobile notaries nationwide. Now, the popular forms of socializing online are Facebook and Twitter. Other popular sites are fading out, but these two seem to keep growing.

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/123notary  our experience
Facebook is a wonderful way to intereact with others. You can have discussions, contests, polls, and offer daily tips to your followers. I have learned that it is quite an endeavor to create good material for our Facebook profile on a daily basis. Tens of hours of painstaking work go into it. But, the rewards are that thousands can benefit from our daily tips and discussions, and we get a regular stream of new customers from this medium who are a lively bunch to work with. We know what are doing now with Facebook, but it is such a versatile medium, that in the future, we might innovate some new ways to use facebook. One idea I had is a competition for who can be a guest blogger. This competition could be in September. Whomever writes the best blog article could be selected to win a prize, and have their work published on our blog! That sounds really exciting.

Twitter – http://twitter.com/123notary – what we did, and what we plan on doing.
We used Twitter as a way to send out daily tips to notaries. We have many followers, and they really seem to like certain tips. Twitter is a great way to find out which types of tips notaries like the most, and which are not worth posting. We keep notes and files on which exact tweets and topics attract the most favorable attention. What we are doing in July 2010 is Tweeting only about topics that were found to be the most popular. We are hoping that will help us attract new followers. Additionally, we will be tweeting about our blogs, and hoping that helps drive enthusiasm.

What works and what doesn’t.
We found that social topics relating to the notary business are hits with our customers. They like folksy chatty types of topics the most. But, the notary career is filled with technicalities too? But, not all technical topics worked well. We learned that technical issues that are important on a daily basis were popular, and business issues relating to notaries not getting cheated were equally popular. However, more obscure technical issues that I feel notaries should know about, did not get the positive attention that I felt they should get. So, we will be shying away from oscure topics for the most part and focusing on what people like.

FORUM – http://www.123notary.com/forum
Visit our forum where we have many interesting sections.  We have a tips section where there are over 100 practical notary tips.  Read commentaries about over 400 signing companies.  Also, you can ask the experts your notary questions and get professional answers.  The forum is a great place to exchange ideas with other notaries.

You might also like:

123notary behind the scenes
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2499

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March 25, 2010

Popular 3rd tweet for blogs

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 11:45 am

(1) iPhone 7: Smart attorney app sues virtual attorney for claiming he’s actual attorney

New Notary Apps for the iPhone 7 that you’ve never dreamed of!

(2) Types of weapons notaries could bring to a signing: large flashlight, ring of keys, gun, etc.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9827

(3) How much money is your life worth to you. Scheduling too tightly could end it!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9819

(4) Most notaries would rather that the phone just didn’t ring

$30 loan signings. Is it worth it even in the best of circumstances?

(5) Most parents in NC overwhelmingly support the idea: adolescents should be able 2obtain confidential medical services.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10165

(6) Cancellations are a real fact of notary life, but double booking can ruin your rep!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9312

(7) 123notary can change your county & state on file in a snap. But, changing your neighboring counties?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9339

(8) A family of Italians needs an Apostille on a POA drafted in Italy. Everything goes wrong. Find out more!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8740

(9) When you scan your work to double check, do you know what to look for?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9291

(10) Your listing is like your front lawn. If you don’t maintain it, people will think nobody’s home.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9286

(11) There’s plenty of fast food, but not enough fast notaries!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8699

(12) Nobody owns you or manages you unless you let them! When it comes to the worst notary jobs, “just say no”

Poo Picking – getting the best notary jobs

(13) Half of the job is knowing how to handle difficult people! #signingagent
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=9265

(14) Sometimes the worst clients are the very rich, celebrities, public officials, corporate leaders, etc.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8628

(15) I just died, my ID is with my body down there.

Witnessing the intake forms for Notary Heaven

(16) Their signing took place at The Notary Hotel & the wife requested a wakeup call after the signing was done.

Welcome to the Notary Hotel

(17) As to setting your fee; set a rate that allows you the time to earn Memorable status –
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8390

(18) Wondering if a phone # a girl gave you is legit? Get it notarized!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8781

(19) He wanted us to remove a notary. I told him we don’t remove notaries based on one-sided stories

Who really needs who?

(20) When I called the borrowers, the wife picked up and thought I was the mistress! I’m the notary!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8377

(21) She tried all day to find a notary, then gave up and had an ice cream. The guy behind her was a notary!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7023

(22) High class co’s pick the best of the best notaries. If you’re on 123notary.com, you’ve already cleared an important hurdle.

We require notaries to be registered on our approved list

(23) Grow your client network. Do inexpensive work and pass your card out to everyone! #notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6358

(24) I decided then and there to be the notary monster myself.

Honey, I notarized the kids (don’t try this at home)

(25) One guy met a notary in a bar & said, “I’ll buy you a drink if you stamp my God damn form!”
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7019

(26) Live in the present & gain happiness by being indifferent to appointments being cancelled!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4764

(27) Moishe: “The land belongs to Israel.”
Fouzi: “Do you have a notarized Deed to prove it?”
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7015

(28) A loan processer 30 year vet didn’t know the technical term for the “date of signing”

Does Real Estate experience help as a notary?

(29) Listing your language skills can help get more clicks on 123notary.

10 quick changes to your notes that double your calls!

(30) If you make over ten grand, you should get both NNA certification and our certification.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8520

(31) Be an upbeat person who gets the job done and doesn’t create obstacles for others.

He made $35,000 a month his first year in business?

(32) Realtor “I need to use the half bathroom”; Notary: “Are you going to do a #half or a number 1?”
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6609

(33) Has a signing company ever gotten you to do something for free? Ha ha, you just got played!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3997

(34) Banks have liberalized loan terms, so it is easier to get a loan = more biz for notaries!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6999

(35) The notaries who attract the most work get multiple certifications, reviews, and have great attitudes.

A great attitude gets the most jobs

(36) If Arnold Schwartzenager became a notary public, he would be known as “The Noterator”.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=6461

(37) A #Jurat is a notary act requiring the signer 2sign before the notary, swear & be identified.

What is a Jurat?

(38) “We need to get rid of the witness, but I can’t tell the 2 blondes apart”

The Notary, The Mafia & The Fedex Drop Box

(39) “Young man, have you ever thought of becoming a notary public? You just might have the right stuff!”

Tomorrow’s Notary Publics

(40) U must meditate on 1-ness. Unless ur signing is for a husband & wife in which case u need to meditate on 2-ness.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4825

(41) The wife abrupty left the signing table & ran thru the house w/the husband chasing her. What a bunch of nuts!

She ran through the house like a mad woman…

(42) “Does the seal on the embossed oreo cookie have an expiration date?” Jeremy asked.

My date with Jeremy

(43) A quick guide to being a notary including: journals, seals, identification, witnesses, jurats, oaths & more…

What is a notary public?

(44) E&O refused to cover the notary since she didn’t make an error or an omission. It was the Lender’s fault!

Help, I’m being sued, and E&O won’t help

(45) When you wait for a client to show up who’s late, ur held hostage w/o waiting fees or travel fees.

The Starbucks notary wises up!

(46) The ghost of the former owner of this Victorian mansion decided to drop in for the notary signing.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3464

(47) Notaries who get ahead put hard information in their notes, not bragging or unverifiable claims.

How to write a notes section if you have no experience

(48) Want a type of loan where your rate goes down every year? Try a parachute loan!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4135

(49) 3 ways to supersize your notary business that only take a few minutes per day!

What tasks can you do which are worth $1000 per minute?

(50) We found the notary who assisted with the “abduction” paperwork, but she wouldn’t answer my calls!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3239

(51) Wife: “The next thing you will ask for is a blood sample.”
Vampire Notary: “Funny you should mention that.”

Vampire Notaries: 24 hour service

(52) It is illegal to use your seal on a blank piece of paper. Yet jails usually require this! (cross it out)

Signing agent best practices: 63 points

(53) I’m the bartender notary; I talk bar talk. It’s my trademark to serve drinks and make smalltalk before signing.”

Bartender Notary: A reverse mortgage on the rocks!

(54) You don’t need to ID him because he looks old, but you look about 18 Mr. Bartender, so we should ID you!

3 Notaries walk into a bar

(55) The notary later learned that the inmate she notarized was in prison for child pornography.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3365

(56) Many elderly signers feel they are being taken advantage of, and that they have a weakness.

Notarizing Documents for the Elderly

(57) One Texas Notary went to a signing & was greeted by a man pointing a rifle at her.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3329

(58) The (female) notary had this bad feeling that something just wasn’t right.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3178

(59) The lady expected the notary to drive around the block for an hour until she showed up!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3120

(60) California lost 44% of it’s notaries from 2007 to 2012 according to a Census count.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=3230

(61) The Lender asked Shelly to notarize someone who wasn’t there & she reported him to the Secretary of State
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2961

(62) The Notary forgot that the wife had to sign & then used white out to modify the documents!

California notaries with complaints

(63) If you put a FedEx containing a cashier’s check in a drop box, that is a recipe for disaster!

Don’t put the Fedex in the drop box!

(64) How do you document an Oath that has no accompanying documentation? #Notary #Journal

How much should a notary charge for swearing in a…

(65) The police caught the hit & run driver within 48 hours after the Notary chased them down & got a plate#
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2173

(66) Our scary demand letter threatens to report the late paying signing co to the SOS, Attorney General, DA & more!

Scary results when a notary uses our letter from hell

(67) I used to make my own permission to travel for minors form with blanks for dates, names & thumbprints!

Make your own notary certificate forms!

(68) Mortgage terms are surprisingly similar to chiropractic terms. Do you know what an adjustment date is?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=1070

(69) 1 day I called 200 people & 1 called me back. When I asked who he was, he told me I should know cuz I called him!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=973

(70) It is common for signing companies to pay on time, but then start paying late the minute they have financial problems.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=968

(71) Many notaries fear bad reviews as dangerous, but the real problem is not having any reviews!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=811

(72) Read real stories about four low-ball signing companies.

Low Ball Signing Companies

(73) The notary profession is easy to get into which means there’ll be lots of low priced competition!

Pricing for notary work: different strokes for different folks

(74) Many notaries just don’t answer their phone or email after a signing which can cause a nightmare.

Things that get notaries complaints

(75) The signer could barely move her arm, so the daughter grabbed it, put a hen in her hand & moved the arm around!

Dragging the person’s arm

(76) You could spend up to $3000 for a really good mobile office. Don’t forget to start w/an inverter!

Mobile Offices from A to Z

(77) Many notaries miss half of their job offers because they refuse to answer the phone during a signing.
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=443

(78) Some notaries save time by notarizing before the signer signs! This is illegal!

Notary Public: Just Say No #3

(79) Learn the finer points of journal entries: where credible witnesses sign, thumbprints & notes.

Everything you need to know about journals

(80) One signer asked, “Are you allergic to cats or snakes?” What kind of signing is this going to be?

Funniest things that happen to Signing Agents

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