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January 7, 2011

Caught DWI? Here’s the truth

Filed under: Other Guest Bloggers — Tags: — admin @ 7:41 pm

Caught DWI? Here’s the truth

DWI is full of myths and exaggerations. It’s almost as if it were a misunderstood story, and mostly because it’s a common charge. We know you want to know the real truth, so that’s why we’re prepared some dwi facts for you.

You can still be charged with DWI even if you haven’t had a drink

Driving While Intoxicated means alcohol – that’s what most people think. They imagine a person who cannot talk and stumble because it’s drunk from too many drinks. Truth be told, you can be charged with DWI is valid when it comes to the drugs in your system, illegal or not, prescription, over-the-counter kind of medicine or a combination between illicit drugs and prescription. In this case, make sure you do not make any admissions or statements. Give your license and insurance to the police, but decline politely to answer the questions – tell them you will not answer any question without first speaking to a lawyer.

The police cannot force you to take a sobriety test

Not many people know about this. Some have heard the truth, it’s one of the fundamental mistakes. They cannot force you to do it, so don’t do it. In this case, you can politely decline to do the field sobriety test.

You can get charged with DWI in any vehicle, even a golf cart…

…or tractor, or a four-wheeler. For instance, in Texas, a “motor vehicle” is a device in, on or by which someone can be transported on a highway. Trains are not in this category. This leaves out a lot of motorized vehicles, actually. But if you’re caught, the same DWI rules will apply just they would if you were driving a car.

You don’t actually know how intoxicated you are

Your judgement is the first thing that is going to be affected after you’ve consumed alcohol. Sure, you know what your tolerance is, but the state can and will prosecute you even if you act and look normal. They can prove what the blood alcohol concentration is. To be sure, get a portable Blood Alcohol Calculator.

Those Americans who are charged with DWI or DUI cannot enter Canada without special permission

Most of the people are shocked to find out they’re not going to enter Canada after they’ve been charged with DWI or DUI or even other alcohol-related matter. There’s one way, though, to do this, and that is to apply for a Temporary Resident Permit (or TRP) or Criminal Rehabilitation.

You can get your driver’s license suspended twice

In Texas, many people charged with DWI are facing 2 driver’s license suspensions. One has to do with the breath or blood test and the other one if convicted of a DWI. If you refuse to give a specimen of breath of blood, your driver’s license will be suspended for 180 days; if the specimen is over the limit – 90 days; if you’re getting sentenced for DWI – 2 years.

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Long term Notary marketing plans

Do you have a long term marketing plan? Many Notaries don’t really have a plan. They just haphazardly go from one Notary related decision to the next. If enough people demand background screening they get it. If they like a particular type of advertising, they get more of it. If they need more work, the lower their rates. The element of calculation is generally missing from how they conduct their business.

Have a long term plan
My point is that you need to have some loose long term plans for your Notary marketing. Figure out what you hope to earn. Decide how much you wish to invest in items such as advertising, background screening, certifications, E&O insurance, etc. Then, try to figure out which type of advertising & other items to get, and from whom. All of these decisions should be based on calculations, and not on how you feel. But, putting most notaries failure to calculate the value of their investments aside, most Notaries base their long term needs on current conditions which is suicide as conditions can change overnight in our business.

Current conditions don’t matter
If a Notary is getting “enough” business now, they don’t want to invest in more advertising. If a Notary is not getting “enough” business, they also don’t want to invest in more advertising because — why bet on a losing horse? Both attitudes are wrong. Other Notaries want to spend too much on advertising without analyzing what type of advertising makes sense. A good ad on 123notary needs six reviews, 123notary certification, and a beautifully written notes section to do well. If you give us $2000 and don’t do the needful preparations, you will not get the full value of the investment which is your fault as we normally cram our unwanted free help down the unwilling throats of Notaries who don’t understand the value in it. Get enough advertising and other items to be able to survive slow times in business.

Base your Notary marketing strategy on being prepared for bad times.
I’ve been in the Notary business since 1997. I’ve seen booms and busts and all types of up and down cycles. It doesn’t matter how much business you get when times are good. Base your marketing to prepare for when times are bad. If you develop a solid customer base and have solid advertising, certifications and all of the other bells & whistles, you will be a lot more prepared for bad times. Notaries with solid customer bases survive the bad times — a few even flourish. I talk to close to a thousand Notaries per month and have talked to all types. If you have too many clients when times are good, that is not a problem. That way you get to pick and choose which ones you will service, and tell the others you are too busy. Most companies are unpleasant to work for, so having the luxury of picking and choosing can completely change your quality of life and is worth an additional amount of advertising.

What do you invest in first? Training
There are various things you can invest in to make your Notary business better. Training should be the first. You can purchase thousands of dollars of advertising, but without the training, you won’t know what you are doing even if you think you do. We have many Mortgage brokers who think they know it all since they have 30 years in the industry. They do not know what it is like on the Notary’s side of the table and cannot answer my easy over the phone questions. All Notaries need to constantly brush up on their signing agent knowledge no matter what their professional background is. Some training is free while others cost. There is no substitute for solid business skills, and training cannot teach you that. The Notaries that do well often have a solid business background as a manager, Real Estate Broker, or some field that involves coordinating schedules, paperwork and dealing with people. However, you can learn a lot from reading all of our blogs and take courses from various agencies. When I was a Notary I passed certifications from five agencies, so you don’t have to stop with just one.

What comes after training? Advertising
After you have educated yourself to your satisfaction, what should the next step be? Advertising or background screening? If you don’t get background screened, you might lose 30% of your business. But, if you don’t advertise, you won’t get any business to begin with. E&O is the icing on the cake. But, properly maintaining your Notary profiles on the various directories needs to be a priority. Your profile needs to constantly be brushed up.

What comes after Advertising?
Background Screening, E&O, company name registrations, fancy equipment, etc. How far you go should depend on how serious you are.

How much should I invest?
Being in the Notary business is a real business. Most businesses require hundreds of thousands in expenses. Being a Notary is easy and only requires a few hundred. If you are serious about this business, take a gamble on yourself and invest at least a $1000 on everything. I would get three or more certifications, advertise on all the major directories, get background screened, and at least 100K in E&O as well. If you want a high spot on 123notary, do yourself a favor and get the bells & whistles on your listing before you spend big money. That way you’ll get much more mileage out of your investment!

What is the real preparation?
My guru always says that the real preparation for the end of the world is not a physical preparation, but a spiritual preparation. The real preparation for good times and bad as a Notary has to do with solid relationships you’ve built up over years. All of the suggestions we make are not ends in themselves. They build up a foundation to help you create those winning relationships — the rest is up to you!

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Notary Funeral — When the Commission Expired

Filed under: Andy Cowan — Tags: , — admin @ 12:03 pm

NOTARY FUNERAL – WHEN THE COMMISSION EXPIRED

We’re gathered here today to celebrate the life and times of a man who made the world a better place. Since he’s no longer here, I don’t have to swear to that. He first knew he wanted to make a mark on the world when he asked to witness others making marks on pieces of paper. Other kids learned the three Rs. Our friend who we miss so learned the three-kinda-looks-like-Rs-but-better-make-sure-they’re-legible-before-he-definitely-calls-them-Rs. He was accepted as a Navy Seal, but chose to join the Notary Seals. His most dangerous mission – asking for Edward Scissorhands’ signature. He switched from pre-med to pre-notary in college, because he wanted to witness legible handwriting instead of his own horrendous handwriting had he stayed a doctor.

He was a good man who never backdated. He met his dear wife on the notary dating site, affiant.com. His wife tried to get his death certificate notarized, not realizing you can’t notarize vital records. We don’t measure his life in years, but the number of commissions he held, ever since he was of legal age. He signed, sealed, and now he shall be delivered.

Instead of being cremated, he requested to be shredded.

In lieu of flowers, his family requests pens. He never had enough pens.

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Witnessing intake forms for Notary heaven
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Marine Protest

Filed under: Technical & Legal — Tags: , , , — admin @ 10:31 am

A Protest is an antiquated Notary act that used to be performed in the 1700’s to protest the non-payment of a bill. Rhode Island is the only state where a Notary can perform the unique act of a Marine Protest. There is also a separate official state Notary fee for performing a Marine Protest. I have never met a Rhode Island Notary who actually performed such an act, but maybe one should just for fun.

A Marine Protest or Sea Protest is a statement where a captain or officer can include relevant details about the ship, voyage, cargo, drafts, date of departure, date of arrival in the next port. Thie type of act is commonly used in unfavorable weather conditions as that could affect a late arrival of a shipment. The Marine protest will protect the vessel and their owners from further claims brought forward by charterers, shippers, and cargo receivers.

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Jeremy’s trip to Texas (yee-haw)

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 9:29 am

I went to Texas in November on a relocation trip. I wanted to get a sense of the various cities so I could figure out if I wanted to relocate. Needless to say, driving from Los Angeles to Texas was a lot of driving. I was anxious to get out of town. So, I got my work done as fast as possible. The minute I was done, I bolted. The first day I drove 700 miles from Los Angeles to Deming. Then from Deming to Hobbs so I could see more of Southeastern New Mexico and then the next day I got to Dallas.

My dream was to have dim sum (Chinese dumplings brought around on little carts) and sit next to a Texas millionaire who was about 65 and wearing an oversized coyboy hat who would tell me all about how he made his first million while ordering in fluent Chinese with a thick Texan drawl. No such luck. My meal in Dallas was spent sitting next to some snobby guys in their mid 30’s who looked like they were more than just friends. The entire restaurant was snobby and unfriendly. It took a few days to figure out that every Texan I met hated Dallas and thought it was snobby. But, Dallas is where the sophistication is. Can’t we have sophistication without the attitude problem? I’m not moving to this place. So, I checked out some other towns and had excellent Chinese food in Richardson and Grand Prairie.

I drove down to Houston which had a very odd Gulf of Mexico vibe even when you were 50 miles or more from the water. Other people felt it too. The road rage in Houston was bad, and I got out of there, but only after a few hours bumming around Chinatown and having some good dumplings. The next day was the Alamo. I had been there before (and didn’t forget) and loved it the second time around. I had Texas style gumbo on the riverwalk, and a great Thai massage uptown too. San Antonio is the nicest city I have seen anywhere. But, I didn’t meet my Texas millionaire there. Next was up to Austin, and I had a nice conversation with a construction worker at a taco place. He said the city did nothing but grow out of control for more than ten years and he had no time off. After that it was back to Fort Worth for a German pancake, some Cajun food and more looking around town. But, no Texas Millionaire. The next day I left Texas and it was up to Oklahoma.

The minute I crossed the border into Oklahoma I stopped for gas. There was a long line. I started chatting with a very unassuming guy who was about 65 dressed in jeans and a baseball hat plus a vest. He told me he had a house in Dallas and another in Palm Springs. He had a solid business, and worked until late in life, saved up and lived the lifestyle that he wanted. Finally — I had met my Texas millionaire! He was nice too. After that I saw a little of OKC, and then to Tulsa. I had no idea that Oklahoma was such a spiritual state. I meditated and the vibration for meditation was better there than anywhere else I have ever seen. Hiking next to a lake was spectacular too as Oklahoma is picturesque and beautiful. I had previously thought it was Texas under another name, but it is really different and so much more asthetically pleasing than Texas which is ugly in most parts (although the Eastern extreme of Texas has pretty trees).

After that I spent some time in New Mexico. I stayed in Santa Fe for a few days and then down to Roswell, Ruidoso, and Deming. I had great Mexican and Vietnamese food in Roswell and a great hike in Ruidoso. Roswell is famous for UFO landings. So I made my UFO joke.

ME: Are you going to abduct me?
GREEN GUY: No, but can you like us on Facebook?

It was hard to find healthy food in most of New Mexico. The state revolves around meat. Vegetables are just not a big thing there and that is bad. It is hard to stay healthy and not get fat, diabetes, or heart disease if you eat meat and tortillas all day long. In any case, I spent a few days in Phoenix after that where I know where to get amazing salads, and then came home feeling exhausted. I couldn’t figure out why I felt so drained. Carmen thought I was tired. But, I think that staying around oil rigs on the road was toxic. The Texas panhandle, Western Oklahoma and SE New Mexico are all being drilled up and it stinks of gas there. America is being destroyed by oil companies and the government allows this. Solar is so much of a better idea. When will we all wake up?

In any case, my trip was fruitful (but not vegetable-full) in that I learned which cities I like and which I did not. All in all, I think that moving out of Los Angeles is a bad idea as we have so much more here than any other city I have ever been to. And, I met my Texas millionaire – not where I wanted to meet him, and he wasn’t fluent in Chinese with a Texan drawl, but he was still nice.

My best memory of the trip was at Eatzy’s in Dallas in the sandwich section. I told the clerk how I complimented some people on their dumplings. I said:

“Ni-men de guo tie fei chang hao.” Then I said, “How is my accent?” He said, “You need to say y’all more.” I don’t think people use the word y’all when they speak Chinese. But, since I learned in the South of China, maybe it will catch on.

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California Acknowledgment Wording Explained

California Acknowledgment Wording Explained

The most common notary act in the United States is the Acknowledgment. Acknowledged signatures represent roughly 80% of notary acts; with Jurats comprising of most of the remainder.

Here is some sample California Acknowledgment Wording.

State of _____________
County of ____________

On _________ before me, ________________________________________,
(name of notary public )
personally appeared _____________________________________________
who proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s)
whose name(s) is/are subscribed to the within instrument and who acknowledged
to me that he/she/they executed the same in their authorized capacity(ies),
and by his/her/their signature(s) on the instrument the person(s), or entity
upon behalf of which the person(s) acted, executed the instrument.

I certify under PENALTY of PERJURY under the laws of the state of California
that the foregoing paragraph is true and correct.

WITNESS my hand and official seal.

____________________________
(Signature of Notary)

Please note that the top section of the certificate wording is called the venue which consists of a documentation of the state and the county. Next comes the body of the acknowledgment certification which documents the date, the name of the notary, the name of the signer who personally appeared before the notary, the fact that the signer was identified properly (they use the term satisfactory evidence to mean that the signer had ID, or was identified through the use of credible witnesses).

The most critical part of the California Acknowledgment Verbiage is that the signer acknowledges subscribing to the within instrument. This simply means that the signer claims that they signed the document. They could have signed hours, months, or years before seeing the notary — and it doesn’t matter so long as they appear before the notary to “acknowledge” that they signed the document. Additionally, the signer must sign the California Notary Journal as well.

Witness my hand and official seal is confusing California Acknowledgment verbiage. A seal, in notary verbiage, could refer to a signature or an official notary stamp (confusing). The notary must sign and affix his/her/its notary seal to the California Acknowledgment Certificate. Please note that the stamp may not be placed over any signatures or wording otherwise it voids the seal.

Please also note that there are lots of (s), is/are, he/she/they, within the text. The notary is expected (many do not do this though) to cross out the inappropriate text near the forward slashes. If you are doing a notarization for a single man, then cross out the she and they and (s) in name, unless he has more than one name being used in the notarization (which would be an interesting case).

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Two and a half notaries: The intercontinental notary seal

Filed under: Sit-Coms — Tags: , — admin @ 7:49 am

WARNING: This skit may have a few inappropriate references that could be considered slightly offensive to people with morals, people who don’t have morals, as well as people who are just not sure.

ALAN: I have an idea

CHARLIE: What is it this time? Are we going to all dress in green and walk down the street signing Gaelic songs?

ALAN: No, it’s even better than that, although I do love Gaelic music.

BERTA: Spit it out! Tell us what you want to do.

ALAN: I thought it would be great if we all became notaries! It is a service everybody needs. And then we would have something in common. You know — to talk about.

CHARLIE: Notary? I don’t really think anyone will need my services as a Notary. Nobody has ever asked me about that before.

JAKE: What’s a notary?

ALAN: Well, you see, a notary is a profession, where they check people’s ID, verify that they are the correct signer, witness them signing a document, and then they affix their notary stamp or seal to the document. Sometimes they even swear under Oath.

JAKE: Sounds cool, I think you should do it. (yawning and patting his mouth)

CHARLIE: I don’t know if I want to invest my precious time doing all the procedures to become a notary, especially not during the superbowl.

BERTA: I heard that Monica needed a Notary…

CHARLIE: Where do I sign up?

ALAN: We can all go down to the County Clerk, and fill out the forms. Then, we get our notary seals.

CHARLIE: Deal.

JAKE: Can I become a notary too?

ALAN: I think you need to be a little older.

CHARLIE: Yeah, and not be a felon.

JAKE: I’m not a felon… Wait! What’s a felon?

BERTA: Someone who was convicted of a serious crime, like my uncle Sam. He robbed a liquor store. But, it was an accident. I swear!

JAKE: Never mind, I don’t want to be a dumb notary anyway.

ALAN: Maybe we can get you a training stamp.

JAKE: Oh, kind of like a training bra, except for notaries

CHARLIE: This kid needs a lot more than just training.

ALAN: Maybe it will be good for him. You never know. Sometimes, hands on knowledge sticks with you more than stuff you learned in school.

JAKE: I’m asleep or daydreaming half the time in school anyway.

CHARLIE: Exactly!

(Charlie, Alan, and their friend Samantha go down to the County Clerk. Fill out the forms. A few weeks later, they get their notary commissions and then they go to purchase their official notary seals)

ALAN: I’d like to purchase a notary seal

CLERK: Sorry buddy. We’re all out of seals, and our next order won’t come in for another three weeks.

ALAN: Three weeks? Do you have anything left?

CLERK: I just got this one. It’s a store sample, so it’s been used before so people can see how the seal comes out on paper.

ALAN: Looks like I don’t have much choice. I’ll take it. How much is it?

CLERK: $25 even.

ALAN: But, it is so small. I’ve never seen a notary seal so small before.

CLERK: Sorry kid, it’s all we’ve got.

ALAN: I’ll take it!

(meanwhile, all three newly commissioned notaries return to Charlie’s Malibu house)

CHARLIE: Check out my new notary seal. It’s gold plated, and comes in a velvet lined case! Pretty snazzy!

SAMANTHA: I love it. It’s beautiful, just like the things you used to buy me when we were dating.

ALAN: How long ago was that?

CHARLIE: It was off and on. More off than on. But, that’s okay.

ALAN: So, where did you get that seal? It’s amazing!

CHARLIE: I know this place in Beverly Hills. They do customized work over there. For the right price, they can do anything for you — I mean anything. They had to special order this seal, but it was fast because they had a courier bring it down from Sacramento.

SAMANTHA: Check out my seal. It’s pink, but the ink is black. You know — for legal purposes. What about your seal Alan?

ALAN: You probably don’t want to see it. It’s just a seal.

CHARLIE: It was your idea for us all to become notaries, so yes, we do want to see it.

ALAN: It’s in the car. I’ll get it.

(Alan returns from the car)

ALAN: Here it is!

SAMANTHA: Oh, it’s tiny. I’ve never seen a notary seal so small.

ALAN: It might be small, but I know how to use it!

CHARLIE: (rolling his eyes)

JAKE: Check out my seal. I made it myself.

ALAN: How did you figure out how to make it?

JAKE: Easy, I just got some plastic housing for the outside and pit in a customized rubber seal on the inside. It says, “In Training.” I call it my intercontinental notary seal.

CHARLIE: Hey buddy, watch it with that. It’s leaking ink!

JAKE: I know, that’s why I call it an intercontinental notary seal.

ALAN: I think you mean “incontinent.”

JAKE: Same difference

CHARLIE: Well, keep it away from the carpets. The last thing I need is permanent black ink in my Persian rugs. That will cost a fortune to remove it if’s even possible.

JAKE: Not to worry, my ink is invisible ink.

ALAN: Now, there’s an idea.

BERTA: I once had something notarized in invisible ink. It didn’t hold up too well in court until I got the judge that special light, so he could read the ink. If it weren’t for that light, I’d still be in jail.

ALAN: So, Charlie, just out of curiosity. What do you do if your notary seal runs out of ink.

CHARLIE: I can guarantee that’s not going to happen if Monica’s around.

JAKE: I might have the problem if I can’t figure out how to stop that leak. The book I learned about seals from… well. I skipped the chapter on leaks.

(meanwhile two beach girls come to the house)

GIRLS: We heard you were notaries.

ALAN: Speak no further. What do you need done?

GIRLS: We need this waterproof document notarized?

CHARLIE: Are your ID’s waterproof too?

GIRL #1: Oh, I have my ID… right…. here…

(Jake’s eyes are bulging out staring intently directly at where Girl #1’s ID is coming out from)

JAKE: Can I touch it?

GIRL #1: You creep!

CHARLIE: Not you, the ID… He’s a notary in training you know.

GIRL #1: Oh… Okay. Here it is.

JAKE: (caresses the ID with a broad smile on his face, puts it to his chest, and to the side of his head.)

GIRL #2: Is this part of notary procedure?

ALAN: For Jake it is. He studied from a different book than we studied from.

CHARLIE: I think I’ll handle this case. Please sign my journal right here.

GIRL #1: Okay

(30 minutes later)

JAKE: He guess what uncle Charlie

CHARLIE: Dare I ask?

JAKE: Remember those girls who came over.

CHARLIE: Yes.

JAKE: Well, I notarized her. Not her document… her!

CHARLIE: No you didn’t! I’m going to my game. He’s about to do a touchdown.

JAKE: No really. Look out the window. (Girl #1 has her back to the house and is looking at a passing boat)

CHARLIE: I don’t see a notary seal on her.

JAKE: (pointing the ultra-violet invisible ink light at the girl) Look again!

CHARLIE: Oh!!! (shaking his head) Got it…

JAKE: One more thing

CHARLIE: Tell me?

JAKE: Ummm, you don’t need to tell Alan about this.

BERTA: I won’t tell him a thing! Mum’s the word!

.

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Introducing the 2019 Notaries!

Filed under: Andy Cowan — admin @ 7:30 am

Introducing the 2019 Notaries!

Trade in your old worn out notaries, everybody. They’re so last year. The new models are arriving with more exciting options than ever!

Forget driving customers crazy by misinterpreting notary law or explaining options to them versus choosing. The new 2019s are… SELF-driving customers crazy!

The new models don’t give the signer the choice between an oath and an affirmation. They always choose affirmation, to automatically not offend the politically correct.

The new models can notarize in reverse, which is handy if you have a reverse mortgage.

The old models were slow in accelerating but very good at braking. The new models go from zero to sixty signings in 2.3 seconds.
With the 2019s, you can enjoy the luxury of leaving drinks on a table during a signing without leaving those telltale rings that could annoy your client. The new models include cupholders for those drinks!

The old models needed witnesses to observe the execution of a document. All the new models need is Siri.

The 2019s have more horsepower of attorney.

The 2019 notaries automatically brake when the signer slows down.

The 2019s no longer just affix seals to documents. They beam them there.

And fake signature alerts are standard on all ‘19s.

If you want your documents automatically signed, sealed and delivered… you’ll have to wait for the ‘20s!

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Notary RV Park

Filed under: Virtual Comedy Themes — Tags: , , , — admin @ 7:15 am

We wrote a few other articles on the theme of Notary Hotel which were very popular. But, what about taking this concept and exploring more angles.

Notary RV Park
I just went to the Notary RV Park. What I have learned is that it is part of a chain of nationwide RV parks catering to retired Notaries. One elderly couple said they were traveling all throughout the country doing signings at ever stop along the way to finance their trip. I was not sure if that was legal or not since you have to be commissioned by whichever state you reside or practice in — but, they didn’t seem to be bothered. They were having a blast. They would go from one Notary RV park to the next and do a signing or two at every stop. Then, they would grill some hot dogs and have some fruit and veggies for dinner. What a lifestyle. Each Notary RV park has a repairman available to fix your printer, laptop or any other mobile office equipment 24/7. What a concept.

Book Online
Book your stay at the Notary Hotel on Expedia. Book online. Wouldn’t it be great if you could book a stay at the Notary Hotel right on 123notary? What if you had a far away notary job 120 miles away that you needed to be at by 9pm and didn’t want to drive all the way home. The Notary Hotel would be perfect. Instead of having a key, just enter your commission number on a keypad, submit a thumbprint, and you can automatically get into your room.

Historical Notary Hotels
On a brighter note, there are Historical Notary Hotels as well. Old Jedadiah used to run the Nevada City Notary Hotel back in the old days when it used to be a temporary home for gold miners and ladies of ill-repute. They did up the place real nice with pictures of life back in the old days. Now it is a respectable place for decent notaries to spend the night during times when they would be traveling a lot. If you want to know the history of Jedadiah’s place and how it became one of the original Notary Hotels back in the late 1800’s, it used to be a place where you could get claims to gold mines notarized in the tea room next to the lobby. Of course in those days, they laced their tea with plenty of whisky and other spirits. And after the signings, Lucy and the other bar girls would entertain you.

Vegas style Notary Hotels
Then in Vegas, they build a huge Notary hotel with 2000 rooms, a buffet, and more. But, they had a better offer for the land, so they imploded the entire building after only six years.

.

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A scene from the minion loan signing
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January 6, 2011

Your jumbled or too short notes section is costing you 50% of your business

Notaries just don’t get it. They think that 123notary is a magic service. All they have to do is pay us some money and they will be rolling in jobs. They also have to follow our advice if they expect to get anywhere. Get reviews on your listing, pass our test, and for God’s sake, fill in your notes section. Below are some common problems with people’s notes sections.

1. Omitted
Many Notaries just don’t get around to filling in their notes or claim that they have nothing to say. Say something for God’s sake. Talk about your radius, professional background, types of documents or loans you are familiar with, or your personal style doing business.

2. Jumbled
Most Notaries write a long paragraph that includes their name, equipment, a few adjectives about how great they are, hours, counties and anything else they can think of. This is a disorganized mess and it means that your brain is a disorganized mess. Clean up your act and divide your notes section into logical paragraphs and keep it easy to read and formatted in an attractive way.

3. Fluff
Most Notaries tell you lots of fluff about themself that any other Notary would claim. Claiming it doesn’t make it true, and those reading your notes are tired of seeing the same old claims thousands of times in a row only to find out that the claims are very rarely true. I am professional, reliable, responsible, accurate, etc. are claims that won’t get you anywhere. Being experienced helps, but reliable counts against you. The most unreliable and unskilled Notaries are the first ones to claim to be reliable — think about that. Notaries that actually have merit talk about specific types of loans they sign, specific Title companies they are on the white glove list for, and specifics about what they do to get your job done. Facts — not fluff please unless you are in the pillow business!

4. TMI
Too much information can also be bad. If you are experienced with two hundred types of documents, it might not be a good idea to list them all. I would not list more than twenty, unless you have a link to your web site where you can list them all. Listing 500 zip codes also creates a mess on your profile and on my site. Please don’t do this. Keep the right amount of information and keep it straight.

5. Misinformation
Some people claim to speak Spanish when in fact they cannot get through a loan in Spanish. If you claim to know a language and put it in the language box, do NOT do so unless you know enough to get through a signing. This will involve understanding a lot of Mortgage and Legal terms which are not always known to the layperson, and you might not know from hanging out with Aunty Consuela who talks to you in Spanish about issues concerning daily life, your kids, your husband, your cooking (and how you added too much salt yesterday,) etc.

6. Omissions of quick & good content
Popular things to add that are typically not added in notes sections include:
Radius — those reading your profile would lose to know your radius.
Last minute assignments — since many are looking for you to jump and run, saying up top that you do last minute is good.
Equipment — Don’t write a novel on this, but some quick pointers on what you have might help.
Languages — Add this
Loan Types — a comprehensive list of loan types helps a lot. Don’t leave any out.

7. Rambling
Going on and on about how you put the client first and how you keep things confidential and you value professionalism to the utmost is using lots of words to say basically nothing. Be informative in what you say, and make sure the reader can put their finger on what you really mean rather than just rambling.

8. Education
You can mention all of the agencies you are certified by or background screened. Any designation is good. The more the merrier.

9. Keep your notes updated regularly
We keep track of how often you update your notes. Many people have had the same information for five years and we don’t like that. Login and brush things up from time to time.

10. Mistakes
Don’t make spelling mistakes as people will refuse to hire you based on that. Title companies assume that if you make a spelling mistake you will also make a mistake with their loan which is a reasonable assumption.

11. Ask for help
We help people with their notes. We make quick commentaries and can tidy things up. We can’t write it for you, but we can rearrange your notes or clean them up.

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You might also like:

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

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

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