March 1, 2015

Point (5) HUD (6) Occupancy (7) Deeds; The Value Menu BACKUP checked

Filed under: (2) Technical and Legal — Tags: 30 point course, HUD Settlement Statement, Occupancy Affidavit, Quitclaim Deeds — admin @ 12:00 am

I get paid enough to get something on the Value Menu

His name was Chester. He had been a Notary for years and he had seen it all. People liked hiring Chester, because he was on time, knowledgeable, and had quite a sense of humor. Unfortunately, a good sense of humor can be like a double edged sword. Not everyone will like your jokes. Chester was good at introducing the documents, and answering all questions.

CHESTER: Hi, my name is Chester. I’m going to be your Notary Signing Agent today. I am here to supervise the signing of these documents. If you have general questions about the documents, or what information is in which document, I am happy to answer. However, if you have specific questions pertaining to your loan, I will most likely refer those questions to your Lender.

ELLEN: Got it.

(ring-ring)

ELLEN: Hello? You want to speak to the man of the house? You must have the wrong number!

CHESTER: Let’s open the package here. Okay, this is the Deed of Trust. This document includes a property address, the amount of the loan, and ties your property as collateral for the loan. Additionally, it states the expiration date of the loan in 2045.

ELLEN: Right after the war of 2045. How convenient. I heard the war was going to end in June, and my loan expires right in July! Perfect! We’ll have two things to celibrate.

CHESTER: I didn’t know a war was scheduled.

ELLEN: Oh, that’s the new thing. Instead of going at it right away, people are so busy these days that they don’t have time for wars, unless they are scheduled at least twenty years in advance. I even have an app for that. It’s called — schedule my war. It has a D-day add-on too! Pretty cool. Looking forward to it.

CHESTER: And I thought that I was usually the funny one at signings. Now, this document is The Note. It has your payment amounts, if there is a prepayment penalty it will discuss that, and it has your Rate, and the amount of the loan.

ELLEN: My rate? My rate is by the word. Yeah. I charge by the word when I write material. But, my manager says that I should charge by the laugh. I get one rate for my initial time telling the jokes and then residuals. We do that at clubs too. Instead of a $30 cover charge, we have a laughometer strapped to each person. We charge them based on how many times they laughed and how hard they laughed. One guy had to Mortgage his house to pay his bill the last time I was on stage. Oh! Only 4.5% Cool! I won’t have to Mortgage my house to pay that. Did I say that? Oh — I AM Mortgaging my house and as a result will have to pay that. Got it!

Chester’s signing with Ellen went well. She would have appreciated his jokes if she hadn’t kept him laughing with her own jokes. But, Chester’s next signing didn’t work as well. The problem happened when he got to the HUD.

SAM: And who did you say you worked for again? You’re a subcontractor, right?

CHESTER: I subcontract for H&B Lending, over $40 billion served (lended)

SAM: I’m loving it! Don’t I deserve a break today?

CHESTER: Give ME a break, that ad is 40 years old! And this next document is the HUD. The HUD itemizes all of the expenses related to your loan.

SAM: Let me read that. Hmmm. On this line it says that the Notary fee is $250. How much of that do you get?

CHESTER: Oh, enough to get something on the value menu at McDonalds.

SAM: Okay, that’s not funny. Get out of my house! You damn Notary!

Point (5) The HUD Settlement Statement
This document is often faxed or emailed at the last minute as Lenders often do not have their act together and need to make last minute changes to documents. Without the HUD, the loan cannot close.

The Settlement Statement or HUD contains information about fees and payoffs. Here, you can check to see what the Notary fee is and compare that to what you are being paid. Do not discuss these numbers with the borrower because it is between them and the Lender, and they are both relying on you for confidentiality. If the borrower already paid an appraisal fee out of their pocket and they are being charged again, for example, have them talk it over with the Lender. Don’t try to answer whether or not they will be reimbursed for certain fees; just have them speak to the Lender. If the Lender is not available, let them know that they have several days to talk to the Lender while they have the right to rescission (the right to cancel). The above situation with appraisal fees happens frequently.

There are several other documents that are similar to the HUD such: as the “Estimated Closing Statement” and the “Good Faith Estimate”. These documents were often drafted earlier in the loan process and don’t always reflect final numbers.

Seasoned Notaries often know what piece of information is on each line of the HUD and have the structure of the document memorized.

Point (6) The Occupancy Affidavit

There are different variations to this document; sometimes it is called ‘Occupancy Affidavit and Financial Status’. The purpose of this document is for the borrower to state that they live in the subject property (which means the house they are borrowing money on). In addition, it asks the borrower to state that they haven’t had any sudden financial changes — for example, unemployment or bankruptcy. Keep your eyes open; if you don’t check which variation of the Occupancy Affidavit you are dealing with, you might make a fool of yourself (a fool and his money are soon parted.) This document is usually notarized.

Point (7) Grant & Quitclaim Deeds

There are four major reasons to have a Grant Deed.

(1) To transfer property in a sale of property

(2) To take someone’s name off of a deed so they won’t be liable for a loan when the other owners want to borrow money.

(3) To transfer the property to or from community property in a trust.

(4) To change someone’s name on the deed
The deed could transfer a property from “Jane F. Doe” to “Jane Doe”. This is very common for people with name variations because sometimes a loan can’t fund without the property being recorded as being owned by the owner with a particular name variation.

Quitclaim Deeds

Quitclaim Deeds are often used to take a person’s name off title. Here is some more information:

A Quitclaim Deed is a legal document which transfers a property to the buyer or owner, whatever interests in the property are held by the maker of the deed. A Quitclaim Deed does not guarantee that those interests are valid. By accepting such a deed, you accept the risk that someone may later appear with a valid claim to your property. A Grant Deed on the other hand guarantees from grantor to grantee that the title is clear. An example of a circumstance where a Quitclaim may be used is where one spouse is disclaiming any interest in property that the other spouse owns. Of the different types of deeds, the Quitclaim has the least assurance that the grantee receiving it will actually get any rights. A Quitclaim deed does not release the party quitting claim to real property from their obligations in any mortgage or other lien secured against the pertaining property.

A Quitclaim Deed is a common, but not standard document in a loan document package. Sometimes, ownership has to be transferred or someone needs to be taken off a Deed before a loan can officially go through. Quitclaim Deeds are always notarized using an Acknowledged signature and the signer must always be positively identified by the notary public for security purposes. Some states also require the notary to take fingerprints in their notary journal for Quitclaim and other deeds affecting real property.

You might also like:

30 Point Course Table of Contents
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14233

30 Point Course (8-9) The 1003 & Compliance Agreement
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14335

HUD-1 Settlement Statement
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10197

I go over the HUD-1 First
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4819

The Affidavit of Occupancy
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10193

Comments (1)

November 18, 2014

HUD-1 The Settlement Statement

Filed under: (4) Documents,Ken Edelstein — Tags: HUD-1, Settlement Statement — admin @ 9:04 pm

“We are waiting for approval of the HUD before we can send you the docs”. I’m sure you have heard that frequently. Arguably the single most informative document in the package. The HUD, along with the Note, Mortgage and TIL (you better know what the letters stand for) comprise the heart of the deal. Although the HUD is usually not notarized, you DO have to take a look at it.

Probably the most important things for you to check are lines 303 and 603 on the first page. But first take a look at items D and E on the top. D & E name the borrower and seller. Generally you will meet either the borrower or the seller; occasionally both. Now you know if you are meeting with the borrower or the seller, and a quick check of 303 and 603 will let you know if there is “Cash (x) From” due. You are expected to notice cash from and to pick up the payment.

Generally the check is made payable to the Settlement Agent. The agent is named in box H at the top of the form. The check(s) are usually made out to the name in box H. On page 2 in the 1100 series of entries there is often a notary fee listed. Sorry, but that is not the amount that you will receive; it’s the amount payable to the Signing Service. If it says $350 and you took the job for $75; you can be sure the Signing Service considers you a hero. As you recall they said they are only getting $125, you might have a slightly different opinion of them.

There is generally a separate signature page. Oddly, the signature page is often not numbered and really has no “tie” to the HUD itself. Take care here; often the signature page requires two signatures. It’s an easy mistake to just obtain the first required signature but not the second. It’s also easy to become a favorite with the settlement company. They need several copies of the HUD and often make them and stamp them with “Certified True Copy” – they are always delighted when the notary prints a few originals, five is a nice quantity; and has original signatures on each.

Sometimes you will receive the entire package minus the HUD; which you are told will follow as soon as it’s approved. Wanna take a chance? If so, go ahead and print the two copies of the docs that you currently have in your inbox. Don’t be too surprised if you are told to shred what you printed. Numbers on the can HUD relate directly to other numbers in the package. If at all possible wait for word that the HUD is “final” prior to printing the package.

As the HUD is the key “money expenses” page; it’s common for the borrower to receive email with “preliminary” numbers. Obsolete HUDs (that are not the “final”) look very similar to the “final” that you brought to the table. Take care that an earlier HUD, printed by the borrower is not mixed in with the documents that you printed. Borrowers will frequently want to compare the one they printed (left hand) to the one you brought (right hand). Be absolutely sure that you return the one sent to you and not the one sent to the borrower.

There is a silver lining to the gray cloud of HUDs. It’s a federal form and almost always the HUD is basically identical and it’s easy to find information. However, I have seen “HUD clones” that do not follow the standardized format. Take care to look closely to determine how these are signed (perhaps also initialed?). Rarely notarized, it’s an easy form to process. Return a few copies of what was sent to you, signed in all the right places.

You might also like:

What are some typical types of affidavits
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21334

Index of loan documents
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20258

TRID information courtesy of Carmen
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18932

The 30 point course – a free loan signing course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14233

Comments (1)

January 12, 2014

I go over the HUD-1 first

Filed under: Loan Signing 101,Popular on Facebook (A little),Signing Tips — Tags: HUD-1, HUD-1 Settlement Statement — admin @ 8:59 am

I go over the HUD-1 First

Some notaries public start the loan at the beginning and go in the order that the documents are in. Ninja notaries call this following the order of the universe. But, other notaries public start with the HUD-1 Settlement Statement first. It is sometimes helpful to go over the most critical figures in the loan. That way if there is a problem, you will know at the very beginning.

On the other hand, you could call the borrower up before you leave your home and go over the numbers. That way you can stop a bad signing right before it even starts! That is sort of like reading the weather report online before you drive two hours to the beach. After all, do you want to go to the beach while it is raining?

One of our notaries public likes to go over the bottom of the 3rd page of the HUD and get to the really critical information first. To each their own. Just remember — either follow the order of the universe or follow your own inner order (if you have one). Good luck!

Think ahead — go over the HUD-1 Settlement Statement

Tweets:
(1) Some notaries start the loan at the beginning and go in the order the docs are in.
(2) You could call the borrower up before you leave your home & go over the numbers
(3) One of our notaries likes to go over the bottom of the 3rd page of the HUD & get to the critical info 1st.

Comments (12)

November 30, -0001

Point (5) HUD (6) Occupancy (7) Deeds; The Value Menu

Filed under: Loan Signing 101 — Tags: 30 point course — admin @ 12:00 am

I get paid enough to get something on the Value Menu

ELLEN: Got it.

(ring-ring)

ELLEN: Hello? You want to speak to the man of the house? You must have the wrong number!

ELLEN: Right after the war of 2045. How convenient. I heard the war was going to end in June, and my loan expires right in July! Perfect! We’ll have two things to celibrate.

CHESTER: I didn’t know a war was scheduled.

SAM: And who did you say you worked for again? You’re a subcontractor, right?

CHESTER: I subcontract for H&B Lending, over $40 billion served (lended)

SAM: I’m loving it! Don’t I deserve a break today?

CHESTER: Give ME a break, that ad is 40 years old! And this next document is the HUD. The HUD itemizes all of the expenses related to your loan.

SAM: Let me read that. Hmmm. On this line it says that the Notary fee is $250. How much of that do you get?

CHESTER: Oh, enough to get something on the value menu at McDonalds.

SAM: Okay, that’s not funny. Get out of my house! You damn Notary!

Seasoned Notaries often know what piece of information is on each line of the HUD and have the structure of the document memorized.

Point (6) The Occupancy Affidavit

Point (7) Grant & Quitclaim Deeds

There are four major reasons to have a Grant Deed.

(1) To transfer property in a sale of property

(2) To take someone’s name off of a deed so they won’t be liable for a loan when the other owners want to borrow money.

(3) To transfer the property to or from community property in a trust.

Quitclaim Deeds

Quitclaim Deeds are often used to take a person’s name off title. Here is some more information:

Comments (0)

January 28, 2022

Bartender Notary: A reverse mortgage on the rocks!

Filed under: Humorous Posts,Popular on Twitter 2011 — Tags: Bartender Notary, Notary, reverse mortgage — admin @ 11:54 pm

This was originally published in 2013.

Signing with the Bartender-Notary: Reverse Mortgage on the Rocks

The bartender notary knocks on the door. “Hi, I’m the bartender notary. I’m here to do your signing.”
“Sure, come right in,” says Joe the borrower.

They go to the dining room table to do the signing. The bartender notary looks around and says, “Hey, isn’t that a wet bar in the back of your living room?”
“Yes.”
“Would you mind if we sat over there?; I would feel much more comfortable sitting over there,” the bartender notary says.
Joe goes behind the bar and asks, “Where am I supposed to sit?”
“No, I’m the bartender so I go behind the bar. you sit on the stool on the other side,” the notary insists.

“Aren’t we gonna do the signing?” asks Joe.
The notary opens his briefcase and takes out a few flasks of non-alcoholic drinks, a tall glass, and a little umbrella. “I’m frustrated, because , when I go to signings, no one ever offers me a drink…maybe after half an hour they might offer me some tap water if I’m lucky…So I decided to turn the tables around…or the counters, as the case may be…and offer the signers a drink. I make my own orange-cranberry spritzer…would you like one of those…or would you like a virgin lemonade? I’ve got everything except ice.”

“Make me a strawberry lime spritzer…and can you muddle the fruits a little? Wait—” says Joe. “Aren’t we supposed to be doing a signing?”
“I’m the bartender notary; I talk bar talk. It’s my trademark to serve drinks and make smalltalk before we do the signing.”
“Ok, I’ll play along,” says Joe.

“How about those Dodgers, Joe? Who are they gonna trade?”
“Well, right now, I’m ready to trade notaries—if we don’t get started with the signing right away.”
“Ok, let’s do the signing,” the notary shrugs.
“Actually,” Joe says, “my reverse mortgage was on the rocks since the beginning of the application process, so I decided to go for a refinance– straight up.”

“Ok,” the notary says.“Your first document is a Deed of Trust. May I see some ID, sir?”
The borrower says, “What, I don’t look over 21?”
“Just a precaution, sir.”

The bartender notary opens his journal and begins to record the types of documents, the patron-borrower’s ID, and the types of drinks served at the signing.

The notary says, “This is your Deed of Trust. Your loan amount is right here; please initial all pages of the document and sign on the last page.”

They get to the Note; the notary says, “This is your Note. Your interest rate is 4.5%. The last loan I signed was an adjustable rate mortgage. I asked the borrower if he would like his interest rate shaken or stirred when the adjustment date comes in two years. He didn’t laugh. He didn’t think it was very funny. I’m lucky he didn’t trade me. Maybe it was how I said it…”

Then the notary asks, “So how’s the wife treating you?”
“Oh, I canned her years ago… I have a girlfriend,” says Joe.
“Do you think she will be in need of a bartender-notary anytime soon?”
“No she lives in an apartment. She won’t need to refinance anything in this lifetime.”

“So waddaya think–those interest rates—are they gonna go up or down?” asks the bartender notary.
“Oh, the Fed’s gotta keep it about the same—or you notaries will all be out of a job!”

“Next, we are going to look at the TIL. This is your Truth in Lending disclosure. Your APR is right here. So are we going into Iran? Whaddaya think the chances are that we invade Iran?”
Joe the signer looks at the TIL and says, “I’d give it about a 4.97%… Hey, I thought we’re not supposed to talk about politics at the signing?”
“That’s my trademark, I have to talk about politics because I’m the bartender notary… that’s what bartenders talk about. Would you like some bar snacks? We have peanuts, wasabi chips … Did you hear about LAX Vineyards new wine blend? It’s a cross between a cab, a merlot, and a shuttle. It’s very popular with bartenders. Did you hear about the wine documentary from Ireland? It’s called Cork Uncorked… There’s a special kind of wine for a signing… Did you hear about the Reverse Mortgage Cabernet? It’s rich in tannins and has two subtle notes…black cherry, and a hint of cocoa…and a smooth finish…assuming that we don’t have to call the lender.”

Joe asks, “What’s next?”
“The next document is your HUD.”

They go to the HUD. Joe the borrower asks, “Oh, so is my strawberry lime spritzer documented in the HUD?”
“Yeah, I think it’s right there under the termite inspection…Let’s just sign the rest of these documents; I have to close up soon…Last call,” says the notary.

They finish signing the rest of the documents.

The notary takes the borrower’s copy of the Deed of Trust and places it next to the signed Deed of Trust. Joe looks at it and says, “There are two Deeds of Trust. I’m seeing double. I thought that strawberry lime spritzer was non-alcoholic…”

“No! These are your borrower’s copies. Are you gonna be ok—or should I call you a cab?”
Joe: “I’m already home…I live here.”

Tweets:
(1) I’m frustrated because when I go to signings, nobody ever offers me a drink!
(2) Bartender notary prefers to do his signings sitting on stools near the wet-bar.
(3) I’m the bartender notary; I talk bar talk. It’s my trademark to serve drinks and make smalltalk before signing.”

You might also like:

Compilation of Notary Stories
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21898

Compilation of virtual comedy Notary articles
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=17693

Compilation of posts about Notary etiquette
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20505

Comments (0)

January 7, 2022

The Joy of Saying NO

Filed under: Ken Edelstein,Marketing Articles,NSA Pricing, Fees & Income,Popular on Facebook (shares) — Tags: low ball, notary job — admin @ 8:58 pm

This was published originally many years ago.

A call comes in from SSS (Sleazy Signing Service) asking if I was available to do a notary job. “Yes” I reply; please tell me more. The job is “precisely” 1.3 miles from your location. It has a single “tiny” PDF. There are “about” 12 pages, and we will provide a return account number for making a UPS label, at no cost to you. I am starting to get the feeling that this is a bottom fisher, but am curious as to the location. Where is the signing to be done? They give a location in the middle of Manhattan, the absolutely worst place for traffic. Mass transit also goes there but the service is quite slow and the waits for bus or train are lengthy. The subway train is faster, but the platforms are not air conditioned and it’s like standing next to a pizza oven.

“Shall I send you a confirmation and the docs?” You can, but first you need to understand how I run my business. I am the seller of the service and set both the price and the payment terms. My fee is $150 (much more than I usually charge, but I had a bad feeling and wanted to get rid of this particular SSS); and that is payable within the next 10 minutes on my site, via PayPal, prior to my printing of the documents.

We don’t work that way, we are willing to pay $40, and you will have to include an invoice when you return the completed documents and we will send a check during our next disbursement cycle; are you interested? No. I didn’t hear you, please repeat what you said. No. Dial tone.

Of course this is an extreme example. Their offer of $40 would entail at least 2 hours of effort, and the expenditure of over a gallon of near 5$ fuel. You know the components of doing any notary work. Calls, printing, travel, record keeping, trip to UPS, dunning for peanuts (in this case), etc. What I can’t understand is the (feigned?) surprise at SSS when I declined their offer. Are there notaries out there who will jump for any lowballer offer? I sure hope not.

However, NO is not always the best answer and you can’t say that “perhaps” or “maybe” you will take the assignment. But you CAN tell them you will be accepting the assignment – AND – will be checking their reputation. If you find they have a negative or no reputation, you will be requiring that they pay “up front”. Some might never mention that process, and will choose to do their “credit checking” as soon as they can get to a computer. If they have a good history, just do the job. But, if they have a bunch of negatives – call and “require” payment in advance.

Back to the fee amount. You know what you must charge to earn a living. Isn’t it about time that you put your foot down and declined lowball offers. Some notaries are out there taking the low fees; and the SSSs in this world have endless phone time to find them. Are you fed up with finding on the HUD that the SSS received $250 and your share is $75? I work with several very honorable Signing Services that take 25$ to 50$ “off the top”. But I always receive the majority of the fee. The reason you don’t is that you have trouble saying NO. Practice, look in the mirror and repeat NO NO NO – I refuse to allow anyone to take advantage of me.

I’m sitting at my PC typing this for you. I am exceedingly happy that I do NOT have a toxic receivable of $40 to chase after putting in 2+ hours in midtown traffic. I prefer to try to influence my fellow notaries to just say NO to the lowballers. You can do it, think: NO NO NO. After you decline the first lowballer you will feel great, and will be ready to “dump” the ones that follow.

You might also like:

The art of the decline — to new Notary jobs
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15783

Comments (11)

November 27, 2020

10 reasons to get 123notary certified

Filed under: Certification & Communication Skills — admin @ 7:02 am

Back in 2004 to 2012, many people wanted to get 123notary certified and studied hard to get this designation. In the last few years, we retested our certified members and found that the overall skill level of people on our site had declined a lot and that most people were not willing to study. This is a huge mistake. Title and signing companies care about experience above any other qualification. However, they still reward people for knowledge and the clicks and jobs dispatched prove my point. If you want to have an edge over the other Notaries, 123notary certification is one of the most effective investments of your time — the other two being reviews, a stellar notes section and accumulating mass amounts of experience the old fashioned way. Below are some significant benefits for 123notary.com certification.

1. Get more clicks (but, not on route 66)
123notary certification currently gets Notaries an average of about 30% more clicks to their listing. It is one major factor of several that determines whether or not your listing will even get looked at. More clicks typically translates into more jobs, however, this relationship is not directly proportional. 30% more clicks in real life would translate into 40-50% more jobs. Many people will click once on your listing during a query. But, if they give you extra clicks, that means they are strongly considering hiring you which is why the click to job ration is disproportional and in your favor.

2. Get more jobs from Title
One Notary wrote to me after he failed his certification retest audit. He said that calls from title dropped altogether the minute I took his certification icon away from him. This is not true for all Notaries, but was his case which is why he studied many hours to pass the scrutiny of my questioning. People who work for title want solid Notaries, and they look at a number of factors including certification — and for God’s sake, please don’t have any spelling mistakes in your notes section on your listing or you can expect your phone to be dead.

3. Feel more confident about yourself
Many Notaries who master our materials like the fact that they know what they are doing. At the risk of sounding more like a deodorent commercial — many signing agents have told me that the feel happier and more confident talking to title and going to signings. Yes, they spend many grueling hours studying for our test, but they feel it was worth it and I respect their diligence.

4. Be one step closer to elite certification
You cannot just become elite certified at 123notary. You need to have a solid understanding of Notary procedure and vocabulary as well as a 123notary basic certification. Certification brings you one step closer to being ready to study for the elite test which is very different material and much more obscure.

5. 123notary certification is sought after by particular companies
I have gotten correspondence from Notaries who claim that 123notary certification is informally recognized by 1st American Title among others.

6. You will be a safer Notary
Many Notaries put themselves at legal risk because they do not know the legal significance of how they handle situations. Not keeping your journal correctly could end you up in trouble with the FBI or a Judge in court. Not keeping thumbprints could get you named as a suspect in an investigation as it looks like a cover up. Doing cross-outs when it is not necessary can get you in trouble with certain county recorders or Lenders. Knowing what you can do, and knowing what you can do that is prudent are two different questions. Learn how to please your client without creating liability for yourself by mastering our Notary materials. We have written blog articles where Notaries have gotten into legal trouble and had to pay up to $20,000 to defend themselves when they were innocent. Imagine how much easier it would be if you kept proper records and acted prudently at all steps along the way.

7. Multiple certifications make you look serious
As someone who deals with Notaries all day long, I can attest to the fact that I have a higher level of respect for Notaries who have three or more certifications. Those who just get the NNA certification and say, “That is all I need.” seem like underachievers to me. I have a higher opinion of those who took notary2pro, NNA, and 123notary certification, or Loan Signing System. When I was a Notary I got certified by five organizations to give you an example of someone who takes this business seriously.

8. Make $8 more per signing.
We did a poll many years ago and learned that our 123notary certified members average income made per signing (according to their claims after a mass email was sent asking them how much their average signing netted) was $8 higher than people not certified by 123notary. Elite members made $14 more per signing. Making more income per signing means that after expenses, you will be making a lot more per year. The extra income could add up to $5000 to $10000 extra per year for a busy Notary which might be $200,000 in their lifetime. It only takes ten hours to do a good job studying for our test. Is your ten hours worth $200,000? That’s $20,000 per hour. What else can you do that is worth that much even if you do brain surgery (or are a hitman) on the side?

9. Get perks from 123notary!
If we notice you are 123notary certified, you would be more likely to get opportunities for free or paid upgrades that the others might be overlooked for. Stop being overlooked and get certified today! If you are late paying your bill, we might give you a little longer grace period. And in general we will value you more because you represent knowledge, quality, and come across as being a serious Notary. Over all you will get better treatment from 123notary if you pass our test.

10. Be more fluent explaining things to borrowers
In real life there are certain things you can and should explain to the borrowers while there are others that you should refer them to a professional about. If you pass our test you will know where to find the prepayment penalty, how to explain the APR, what is on the HUD or CD, and when their first payment is due. You will have this information memorized. You will know that a signer can legally presign an Acknowledgment (in most states) whether the Lender “prefers” that or not and how to administer an Oath without falling on your face. You will be more professional and smooth in all of your transactions.

SUMMARY
Certification will help you get more clicks, get more work, make more per signing, be smarter, feel better, be a smoother Notary, and get on the good side of 123notary. It only costs a few hours of study and a small fee, so the only thing holding you back is lethargy. Get off your assets and get 123notary certified today!

You might also like:

Compilation of posts about certification & elite certification
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16264

123notary’s comprehensive guide to getting reviews
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16290

How to write a notes section if you are a beginner
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16698

Unique phrases from the Ninja course
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14690

The lady who studied 30 hours for her elite test
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21238

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October 23, 2020

123notary Elite Certification Study Guide

Filed under: Loan Signing 101 — Tags: 123notary Elite Certification, Signing Agent Certification — admin @ 12:24 am

ELITE CERTIFICATION

To get elite certification, you need to do well on the regular certification topics, and then know a lot more. Here are the items we quiz about for elite certification. We test by phone for the elite, and if you study hard and know your basic documents, scenarios, and Notary knowledge plus the content on this page, you could pass.

Documents you have to understand intimately

Recorded Documents
Riders
Subordination Agreement
Residency Affidavit
Owners Affidavit
Deed of Reconveyance
Deed of Trust
CD & HUD-1
Please read the details of the required documents. Read more…

Procedures or Acts to Understand

Signature by X or Mark — read more…
Apostilles and Authentications — read more…

Other Terms or Information
Please click on the links below to get detailed information on the following points.

The term Elizor — read points 23 on this link. An Elizor is a court appointed official that can sign over property when the owner refuses to cooperate in court.

Explaining beneficial & financial interest. A Notary may not have beneficial interest or financial interest in anything he is notarizing. A beneficial interest could be construed as …

Federal Holidays in chronological order (memorize these). Let’s start with New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day …

Fraud Prevention & types of fraud that happen in the Notary world. Falsified identification, incorrect dates on certificates, using someone else’s Notary seal …

Authority – Who has the highest level of authority if there is a question about a notary act or document at a signing? The Notary is the authority as to how a notary transaction happens, but…

Annual Percentage Rate — a detailed understanding is required. The APR is based on the amount borrower after certain (but not all) fees and closing costs have been deducted, and expressed as a …

Pros & Cons: — Adding an Acknowledgment rather than fixing the original. if there is a mistake on a preprinted form. It is cleaner to add a new form, but there can be recording fee issues involved…

What to do if John & Sally’s names are inscribed in an Acknowledgment by the Lender and Sally can’t make it. — Cross out or add a new form? This is similar to the last point, but there are some extra snags…

Handling name variations and discrepencies such as: ID Name, vs. Typed Name, Signature on Doc, and Name on Ack. Relationship between these names if they don’t exactly match. The main thing is to obey the law first…

Understanding dates such as: Transaction Dates, Signature Dates, Rescission Dates, and Document Dates… A transaction date is the same as a signature date, but a document date is arbitrarily chosen, but by whom?

Loan Signing FAQ’s that Borrowers ask. FAQ’s have been greatly reduced by Lenders being required to explain documents to the borrowers in advance. But, you still might be asked why the APR is …

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March 17, 2020

Coronavirus – how it affected me and my recommendations

Filed under: General Stories — Tags: Coronavirus, Covid 19, Covid19 — admin @ 6:10 am

Since I work from home and have savings, I don’t think I will personally be too badly affected by the Coronavirus.

But, today, I was subjected to a rude awakening. Public schools, universities, bars, clubs, restaurants, etc., have all been closed other than for restaurant take out. The restaurants were functioning at 10% of capacity when they were allowed to have dine in guests. However, in other parts of California the restaurants are still open based on a conversation I had using my fluent Mandarin Chinese (thank you, thank you, you may applaud… okay, that’s enough applauding.).

At Whole Foods, they were out of almost everything I normally get. I had to get chocolate flavored hazelnut milk rather than my usual vanilla almond milk. Unfortunately I use the milk with cereal and juice and was not sure how the chocolate would mix. It mixed well with Cherry juice which is one of the things the supermarket actually had in good quantity.

I invented the term Frankenstonian that is kind of like Draconian, but involves more “experiments” done with a German accent and the announcement, “It’s alive— ya!”

I got to see what other supermarkets are like in my quest to find toilet paper and wound up finding a far superior brand of pumpkin pie.

But, I was so sad walking around thinking of all the laid off bar tenders, waiters, and airlines staff that I actually almost started to cry. I was so depressed.

So, it hasn’t been all bad. But, here is my view on the policies.

COVID-19 is like a tsunami.
The “experts” say they are trying to reduce the height of the tsunami of infections by introducing draconian measures to create social distancing. I agree with social distancing if it can be done in a way that doesn’t cripple the economy which will have a domino effect and could land us in a depression or broke as a nation. The reason we are in this problem is that most countries including the USA do not have enough ICU rooms or ventilators. Why are we realizing this now? In my opinion, wars, earthquakes and disease outbreaks happen on a regular basis and therefor we should have locations for makeshift hospitals and RESERVE WORKERS for hospitals just like the military has. America is always ready for war, but never ready to take care of its citizens.

So, the strategy is to do permanent damage to children by hampering their education. Kids are dumb enough as it is with school, imagine how dumb they will be missing an entire year. We are taking two weeks off as a precautionary move. But, two weeks later nothing will improve, but lots of damage to the economy and lots of frustrated people, and lots of dumb kids. The tsunami is still coming, delayed perhaps by a few days, and its height will be far above our capacity to deal with it even if we delay it.

The damage from the tsunami is bad enough on its own, but now we will triple the damage by ruining our robust economy because we can’t control a tiny little virus with all of our technology and medical knowledge. Unbelievable. Am I supposed to put my faith in science after all of this nonsense?

My Recommendations for “dealing” with Covid-19
1. Have manufacturing plants for respirators, masks and Purell working 48 hours per day (if that’s possible)
2. Use prefab buildings and create a makeshift hospital near an airport or on a military base.
3. Create an army of reserve medical staff who are somewhat skilled in handling emergencies.
4. Let it rip – then we will have the mechanism to treat the ill and all of these quarantines will no longer be necessary.

I think at some point we need to let nature take its course. The angels want to do a cleanup of some of the negative spiritual forces in the planet, and outbreaks are one of the ways they do it. Personally I think they should use bolts of lightning. But, in a candid interview with an angel recently mentioning the lightning, the angel replied, “Nah, that’s old school, we prefer infectious diseases — that’s what’s in now. Thousands of people get infected, but we decide who will die. With lightning, it’s too hard to aim, plus you can only use it when people are outside in thudnderstorm.”

In the mean time, back to my chocolate hazelnut milk. That stuff is so good, that I am not minding this emergency of epidemic proportions as much.

Comments (2)

October 10, 2019

Stand up routine at a signing

Filed under: Humorous Posts — admin @ 11:23 pm

It started out being just a normal signing. But, the Notary was no ordinary Notary.

NOTARY: Hi, my name is Charles and I will be your signing agent this evening. If you have any questions during the signing process, please feel free to address those to me.

BORROWER: Sounds like a deal, Charles. We’ll conduct the signing in the dining room.

NOTARY: Great.

BORROWER: Would you like to sit down?

NOTARY: Oh, you see, my style of signings is more of a stand up signing.

BORROWER: Oh, yeah, I read in your reviews that you are a stand up guy. Now, I think I know what they meant.

NOTARY: Good one. I didn’t know my reviews said that. I thought it said that I showed up on time;

BORROWER: That was only for one signing, the one where you set your clocks back an hour in November. No wonder you were on time for the first time in your life.

NOTARY: That was low, but it works. Anyway. Let’s begin with the Deed of Trust. We need to initial each page.

BORROWER: Have you done this before, or do you consider this to be improv?

NOTARY: I did my routine once, but on a reverse mortgage, so I have to turn my jokes around for this type of signing.

BORROWER: Do you need to go back into the driveway and turn your car around too?

NOTARY: Not until the signing is over.

BORROWER: Good one! Okay, look. This is my initial initial.

NOTARY: Hey, not fair, you are funnier than me. Oh look, your APR is 6.2% — what a joke!

BORROWER: Uh oh, I could have you reported for kibbitzing on my loan. No commentary aloud — allowed.

NOTARY: Did you just make a word play? You are right, I have no place commenting on your loan, especially not satirically.

BORROWER: I didn’t shop around for this.

NOTARY: It’s okay. The 30 years you are paying 6.2% instead of 6.1% will probably only cost you $40,000 and I’m sure the ten hours you saved by not shopping around is worth more than $40,000, right?

BORROWER: Grumble. You are so fired, but thanks.

NOTARY : On the other hand, rates just went up, so you probably lost your lock, and the financial institution you borrowed from is one of the best and gives competitive rates, so you did okay. I just said what I said in jest.

BORROWER: Hey, you just made a word play with the just and the jest. Was that a soliloquy?

NOTARY: No, you are just being silly-oquy. Now, let’s look at the HUD or the Closing Disclosure. Hmm, it says the Notary fee is $300. Guess how much of that I get?

BORROWER: Umm, the whole thing?

NOTARY: You missed your calling in life — you should have been a comedian. No, I get $60 which covers my gas, printing, other auto expenses, and a happy meal.

BORROWER: Reminds me of the time I went on a rick-shaw ride in India. The guy wanted 70 rupees and I offered him 60. He said, “Hey buddy, the price if imported whiskey is not going down — 70, no discounts.”

NOTARY: How comforting. That reminds me of the Arabian signer I had who told me all about his harem. He had four Saudi girls, two African girls, but wanted a blonde. So, he went to all types of trouble to coerce a blonde to live with him in his palace. He finally got a girl named Christina to be part of his harem. He said, “Once I had a blonde blue eyed lady as part of my harem — Christina. She always used to talk back to me… I found it so (pause) refreshing. After three months I had to send her back to the states. I will never forget my little Christina.”

BORROWER: You know how it is for people in third world countries. I think there is an expression about white girls (or guys) — Once you’ve had vanilla, you’ll love like a chinchilla, sipping sarsparilla, on a beach on the coast of Manila.

NOTARY: That must be a come back to — once you’ve had black, ain’t no turning back.

BORROWER: Something like that, although yours is more imaginative especially with the chinchilla. Do they have chinchillas in the Philippines?

NOTARY: Not sure, I think they are cute little creatures who live in the Andes. Okay, now to the Right to Rescind. Forgive me father, for I have rescinded.

BORROWER: Oh, that’s an old one. I’ve heard that many times from all of the past Notaries I’ve met.

NOTARY: I know, sounds like something they would say on late night television on Craig Ferguson’s show. Okay, you can cancel by email, fax, or in writing.

BORROWER: I don’t have a fax.

NOTARY: Well then better make sure you really want this loan!

BORROWER: I think I want it. But, I do have email.

NOTARY: Better print out the email and the send date so you have proof that you sent it. You know how these banks are.

BORROWER: Okay, I signed here. Are you going to acknowledge my signature.

NOTARY: No, you are.

BORROWER: So, let me get this straight. I acknowledge my own signature, and then you are the one who gets paid.

NOTARY: As I said before — you’re in the wrong profession.

BORROWER: I’m beginning to think you are right.

NOTARY: Now, on to the signature affidavit. You have to swear that you signed it.

BORROWER: Okay, (raising his right hand) I swear.

NOTARY: But, you haven’t signed it yet.

BORROWER: Oh yeah.

NOTARY: Thank God you’re not a Notary, missing a signature like that — otherwise you’d really be in the wrong profession! That’s not only careless what you did, but illegal — 5 years.

BORROWER: Five years for a little joke?

NOTARY: That was under Oath with a public official — me.

BORROWER: Good God, I’ll stick to jokes about the APR from now on. Did you hear about the APR that wanted to go onto the next stage in life? He became a BPR.

NOTARY: Bad one. Boo. I got one. How do you define the APR to a non-borrowing spouse?

BORROWER: You mention it deducts many of the fees and closing costs before doing the calculation? That’s not funny.

NOTARY: It is with your loan. Have you seen the appraisal fee — that’s insane!

BORROWER: You’re fired… again. Except I can’t fire you because you have something on me — that damn Oath I took. My pre-signature Oath.

NOTARY: Those pre-signature Oaths will get you every time. I call them pre-sigs. Happens all the time. Borrowers will swear to anything, they think it’s cool.

BORROWER: Now to do the Jurat. You need to watch me sign in your presence for one of these according to what I read in Jeremy’s course. Are you watching? I’m signing now, keep looking…. I saw you look away… Keep looking.

NOTARY: Are you even watching what you are signing, or are you just watching me?

BORROWER: Oh, you are … what a scribble. I signed that? I should have been paying attention.

NOTARY: Correction, you should have been witnessing your own signature instead of trying to witness me witnessing your signature.

BORROWER: Once again, I’m in the wrong profession, but thank God I’m not a Notary.

NOTARY: Exactly. Jokes aside — yes! Okay.. got one. What did the Notary say to the borrower?

BORROWER: Umm. Sign here?

NOTARY: No, he said, “Sign exactly as your name appears on title.”

BORROWER: That sounds about right, but isn’t funny. What if the borrower is irate about their APR?

NOTARY: That’s more along the lines of where you get to the punch line. Or getting thrown down a flight of stairs.

BORROWER: Ouch. Did that really happen?

NOTARY: It’s all documented in Jeremy’s blog — real story, and that’s no joke. Now let’s look at the 1003.

BORROWER: Page three says, “This page intentionally left blank.” sounds like a Seinfeld situation. It’s more like a joke than a real loan document.

NOTARY: That’s the irony. It looks like a joke, but it actually isn’t a joke.

BORROWER: That’s kind of like most of your jokes in reverse. They sound like jokes, but they aren’t funny.

NOTARY: You laughed, so they are funny, at least to you.

BORROWER: You got me on that one just like my Lender got me on the APR.

NOTARY: Now it is time to do journal thumbprints. I need three thumbprints, one here, one here, and one here — one for each entry.

BORROWER: Here you go.

NOTARY: So, how would you rate the signing overall — jokes aside?

BORROWER: I would give it three thumbs, but not three thumbs up. Three thumbs horizontally.

NOTARY: Not sure if that constitutes an official rating, but it will have to do.

You might also like:

Index of best comedy posts from 2015
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20295

The Mayan rescission calendar
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15096

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ELITE CERTIFICATION

March 17, 2020

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