March 2017 - Notary Blog - Signing Tips, Marketing Tips, General Notary Advice - 123notary.com
123Notary

Notary Blog – Signing Tips, Marketing Tips, General Notary Advice – 123notary.com Control Panel

March 24, 2017

Sharktank: Self-Driving Notary

Filed under: Best Humorous Posts,Sit-Coms — Tags: — admin @ 8:02 am

DO YOUR JOB OR YOU COULD SEE THIS ON SHARK TANK!

First into the tank is a notary who plans to eliminate the competition.

CONTESTANT: Hello, sharks. My name is Jesse and I’m seeking $200,000 for 10% of my company, Self-Notary! Imagine eliminating the hassle of human beings showing up late for signings. Of making fun of your driver’s license picture ID. Well imagine no more! Self-Notary brings the future of automated transportation to your doorstep! So sharks, who’s ready to sign… on the dotted line?

MR. WONDERFUL: You’re talking about putting your fellow workers out of business. I’m sure they’ll want to sign all right. Your death certificate! How does this job-robbing invention of yours work?

CONTESTANT: A self-driving notary vehicle shows up at the client’s door. The signer puts his ID in the slot, scans his document, signs the online journal, puts his money in the dollar feed, and the machine sends the document.

DAYMOND: How does it get an oil change if it’s driverless?

CONTESTANT: An automated mechanic drives out to change it.

MR. WONDERFUL: You’re valuing your company at two million dollars. I assume there are SALES to report about. At least there better be.

CONTESTANT: We’re in pre-launch.

MARK: Oh. brother. And you expect us to pre-pay before we even know if it works?

LORI: What does it cost you to make, and what does it cost the client?

CONTESTANT: $100,000 a unit. And it costs the client a fee per signature plus a travel fee.

MR. WONDERFUL: That’s terrible. That’s a big nothing-burger. The day I get my money back on a deal like this is the day I need a haircut – which I haven’t needed since I became BALD! I’m out.

DAYMOND: After the notarization is finished, does the driverless car give the client a flourless cake as a thank you gift?

CONTESTANT: No, but that’s a great idea! My wife is a terrible gardener. We could eat the cake in her flower-less garden.

DAYMOND: It was MY great idea! I’m out.

BARBARA: I’ve been watching your presentation, and I think you’re a lousy salesman.

CONTESTANT: Would you swear to that?

BARBARA: Yes. But you wouldn’t be a credible witness.

LORI: So are you in, Barbara, or are you out?

BARBARA: I’m gonna make him an offer.

MR. WONDERFUL: You’re insane. I forbid you from murdering innocent money like that.

BARBARA: I’ll give you half the money you want, but you’re gonna need a lot of my help. I want 20% and I want another shark to go in on the deal.

LORI: I’ll go in on that deal with you, Barbara. 20% each. I deal with notaries who show up late all the time. I think there’s a market for automated notaries. And the human ones they put out of business can learn from the embarrassment of it and beat the automated notaries at their own game by signing up with the best of them on 123notary.com.

MR. WONDERFUL: What is this, product placement?

LORI: I get a few extra bucks for it. They don’t call me a shark for nothing. You better sign up on 123notary.com before the automated notaries do.

MR. WONDERFUL: You did it again?

LORI: Cha-ching.

Just then, the shark’s worst nightmare rolled in before their eyes!

MR. WONDERFUL: What is that monstrosity?

CONTESTANT: Oh, that’s the other product I’m working on. That’s automated you, Mr. Wonderful! Self-driving Shark!

BARBARA: Looks just like him. Especially the chrome dome.

.

You might also like:

See our string of episodes of Notary Shark Tank
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=shark-tank

See our string on posts about Snapdocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=snapdocs

Startup Apps that could ruin the Notary business
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16579

Apps that Notaries have never heard of that could change your life
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16311

New Apps for the iPhone7 that you’ve never dreamed of
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=10977

Share
>

March 23, 2017

The 3 day right to rescind

Filed under: (4) Documents,Loan Signing 101 — admin @ 8:00 am

This article intends to clarify dating on the Notice of Right to Cancel or RTC.

A borrower went to confession

TOM: “Forgive me father for I have rescinded.”

PADRE: “Did you rescind in the 3 day period?”

TOM: “Yes, father.”

PADRE: “Then, it is okay in the eyes of the lord. 3 hail Mary’s.”

TOM: “It was in two days, so can you reduce my sentence to 2 hail Mary’s?”

When you get a non-commercial and non-investment personal refinance, traditionally you get three days to resind or cancel your loan. Counties these three days is a skill that Notaries need, but don’t always have. In the old days, and with certain lenders, the Notary is reponsible to write in the TRANSACTION DATE in a blank in the RTC.

The transaction date is the date when a notarization is done or when a loan is signed. Technically with Acknowledged signatures, the signature can be made previous to the Notarization. It might be five minutes previously or twenty years previous to the notarization. During loan signings, the documents are normally signed at the time of the loan signing and promptly notarized.

The signature date is normally the same as the transaction date, but not necessarily and is the date the person signed the document. Once again, in an Acknowledgment, that could come before the notarization if the borrower wishes to sign ahead of time, but at a loan signing is normally on the date of the loan signing.

The notarization date is the date when a document is notarized.

The recission date or deadline or last day to rescind is three days after the date of the signing not including Sundays or Federal hollidays or other days that the Lender allows.

Please note that business days only include Monday to Friday while days to rescind include Monday to Saturday not including Federal Holidays of which there are ten.

Let’s do some practice runs.

(1.) A loan is signed New Year’s eve on Friday the 31st. What is the last day to cancel your Refinance?
Sat would be New Year’s Day a Federal holiday. Sunday would be a Sunday and not counted. So, you would have… Mon, Tues, Wednesday would be the last day.

(2.) A loan is signed on Monday in April when there are no Federal holidays. The last day to cancel is… Tues, Weds, Thursday would be the last day.

(3.) A loan is signed on Sunday in April. The last day to cancel is… Mon, Tues, Wednesday would be the last day to cancel.

(4.) A loan is signed on Thursday in April. The last day to cancel is… Fri, Sat, skip Sunday and Monday would be the last day to cancel.

(5.) A loan is signed Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The last day to cancel would be… Fri, Sat, skip sunday and then Monday would be the last day to cancel UNLESS the Lender allows Friday as an arbitrary holiday (they can be generous if they like) in which case it would be… Sat, Mon, and Tuesday would be the last day to cancel. Whether Black Friday is considered a holiday or not is up to the Lender and they are 50/50 on this one. But, if they don’t specify, then it is considered a regular business day with exceptionally long lines!

Now boys and girls, we understand the RTC or Notice of Right to Cancel. We hope you are also aware of when the ten Federal holidays come. It is not a bad idea to have a Rescission Calendar. I heard that the NNA might have them, so get one that fits in your wallet.

What’s in YOUR wallet?

Share
>

March 22, 2017

Notaries with the same name – drama!

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 7:59 am

We had several situations where there was a small drama because more than one Notary had the same name.

In one instance, a Notary in Michigan named John Smith got the check for a Notary also named John Smith in Alabama. They had the same name. The Michigan John Smith deposited the check too.

In another instance a Notary who had been offline was put back online. The Florida Melody Smith was put back online. Then Melody Smith emailed me to let me know that she was still not online. Then I took a closer look and realized that there was a California Melody Smith as well who was not online. Ooops! So, I put California Melody Smith online and explained my mistake.

Then, we had a new Notary named Howard Lee. I was horribly afraid because I had had a roommate named Howard Lee. What if it were the same person? They were both in California. Gasp!!! However, my heartrate went down when I learned that Notary Howard Lee indicated Korean as a second language, where the ex-roommate who wanted to kill me because of a lie his girlfriend told him spoke Chinese.

In another instance Samantha Cornfield got the other Samantha Cornfield’s password. Ooops — security breach. She emailed me and I sent the password for a completely different person with the same name.

The moral of the story is that I need to really be more careful and check people’s email address when they contact me because email addresses are unique, but there could be infinite numbers of people with the same personal name.

Share
>

March 21, 2017

When to refuse a notarization: a comprehensive guide

Filed under: Comprehensive Guides,Popular on Linked In,Technical & Legal — Tags: , — admin @ 9:38 pm

Most clients you have will have legal requests, but from time to time, there will be someone who wants you to bend the law, or someone who doesn’t understand proper protocol. Here is how to handle the difficult requests.

Situations where a signer is not appropriate to notarize
(1) If you cannot prove the signer’s identity with satisfactory evidence. Some states allow personal knowledge of the signer, so please study your state rules. Satisfactory evidence normally involves current, or near current driver’s licenses, passports, or other government issued ID. Each state has different variations on what is acceptable, so know your state rules!

(2) If the signer doesn’t appear before you.
This means that they should be a few feet from you and fully visible.

(3) If you cannot communicate directly with the signer.
This means that the signer needs to speak the same language that you speak. If you speak the signer’s language as a second language, but don’t know it well enough to understand all of the communication necessary to give instructions and answer questions regarding the notarization, then you should decline.

(4) If the signer refuses to swear under Oath if an Oath is required as part of the notarization.

(5) If the signer is being coerced to sign or pressured to sign.

(6) If the signer is drugged (perhaps in a nursing home or hospital,) confused, or disoriented. If they can’t answer basic questions about the document, they are not in a clear enough mental state to sign.

(7) If the journal entry requires a thumbprint by law and the signer refuses to furnish you with one.

(8) If the signer refuses to pay the Notary fee

(9) If the signer is so incapacitated that they cannot sign their own signature.

.

Situations where the document is not satisfactory

(1) If there are blanks, or omitted pages in the document.

(2) The document lacks a notary certificate and the signer refuses to tell you which type of notary act they need done.

(3) The document is a vital record, or a type of document that may not be notarized or be copy certified.

.

Situations where the Notary cannot notarize due to conflict of interest

(1) If the signer is your parent, spouse, child, or other close family member. It might be okay to notarize for cousins and more distant relatives although it is generally better to avoid notarizing anything important for a family member due to conflict of interest.

(2) If you are named as a beneficiary in a document or have any type of financial interest in the document being signed.

(3) If you are the signer of the document, you may not notarize your own signature (contradictory to popular belief.)

.

I created this blog because of a discussion I had with a Notary who went to another Notary at a UPS store to get notarized. The Notary refuseed to notarize because the signer (also a Notary) refused to be thumbprinted. I had to look this up. California state law did not discuss the issue, but did say it was illegal for a Notary to refuse service. I researched what NNA had to say about this issue and they concured with California in an article about when to say no. In any case, I hope this article was helpful.

.

You might also like:

The whole purpose of being a No-tary is to say No!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19180

Are you a Yes-tary or a No-tary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16626

Just say no #3
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=376

Share
>

March 20, 2017

Are those other things you’re doing worth $1000 per hour?

Filed under: Certification & Communication Skills — Tags: , — admin @ 7:13 am

Passing the 123notary certification test can reasonably make you an additional $30,000 over the next 10 years. You might need a few hours to study and some wait time if you need to email me for a password to take the test when I’m busy. But, your total hours invested might be 30 hours maximum if you were the most thorough Notary in the history of Notary-Kind. So, you invest 30 hours and get $30,000 in delayed gratification. That is $1000 per hour.

$30,000 extra in a decade — it’s like winning the lottery!
If you get half a job extra per week because of that certification that is $50 extra per week, and $2500 extra per year which is $25,000 in ten years which is close to my figure. So, let’s assume that you get (.6) more jobs per week to round the number up to $30,000. I’m being reasonable, right?

But, I’m so busy?
I get this all the time. I can’t find time to do the certification test because I’m so busy. The problem is not that you are busy, but that you failed at mastering the art of organizing your time. If you have thirty tasks to do, but only have time for ten, you assign a priority to each task from one to thirty, and do the most time sensitive or critical task first, and then do the other critical tasks after, and neglect the tasks that are less critical.

Are those other tasks worth $1000 per hour?
Is doing your laundry worth $1000 per hour like studying for our certification test? Probably not. Is taking that Notary job for $75 with faxbacks going to get you ahead in the long run? That’s three hours out of your day right there. Is going to Kim’s birthday party all that? That all depends on what Kim is wearing! Is cleaning your house a priority? Be a slob until you pass that test. Your test should come first and everything else should come after. If it takes you a month to pass that test, put it on the front burner and make everything and everyone else wait until you pass that test.

Let the laundry stack up
My laundry stacks up when I’m working on a project. I do my laundry in a bucket to save myself the time of going downstairs to the public laundry machines which need to be watched. I focus on the priority at hand when I want to get something done. I find more efficient ways of doing all of the tasks that I do. You need to schedule some time and make sure that you get that certification test done. The minute you don’t make it a priority, you’ll forget about it until I call you months after the fact and you’ll say — oh yeah.

Get it done!
The fact is that many people get many extra jobs per week or per day as a result of passing that test, and many people pass the test with only three or four hours of study. The rewards might be up to $200,000 for a busy Notary in increased jobs over the next ten years. Many of you will be Notaries for twenty years. So, neglecting to pass my test is not only stupid, it’s insane. Buckle down and get it done!

.

You might also like:

Here is an easy way to make $4000 more per year
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=14162

Studying to be elite certified is worth $533 per minute
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20774

Notary fined $385 for botching a notarization
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19941

Do I need 1 million in E&O to get business?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20183

Share
>

March 15, 2017

Questions to ask to see if an ID is fake

Filed under: Technical & Legal — Tags: , , , — admin @ 7:58 am

As a Notary, you might run into a fake ID from time to time, but there are not so many of them out there proportionally. Most Notaries don’t bother to take a closer look at ID’s, but perhaps you should inspect each one as if it was fraudulently created.

Always inspect an ID to see:

1. There should be a physical description, expiration date and signature. If these are omitted, the ID is probably fake.

2. Newer ID’s contain raised lettering, embedded images, holographic images and microprinting.

3. A fake ID might have letters blurred together, or print that appears above the lamination.

4. Peeling lamination is a bad sign

5. See if the person’s eyebrows match. Women change their hairstyle and color regularly leaving the eyebrows. mouth and nose as more reliable features for identification.

Questions you could ask

1. You could ask the person their address or zip code.

2. Ask them their sign rather than their DOB. You can memorize a DOB, but nobody memorizes a fake sign. I’m a Leo by the way.

3. You could use an ultraviolet light to see if the perforated image looks authentic compared to a real ID (like yours in your pocket.)

.

You might also like:

Notary Public 101 – Identification
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19507

Notarized document expired identification
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=8294

Share
>

March 13, 2017

Buzzwords to avoid in your notes section

Filed under: Your Notes Section — admin @ 7:19 am

Some Notaries have mastered the art of writing an amazing notes section while others resort to cheap imitations. Using the wrong buzz words can backfire on you and I have seen this happen many times. A good notes section is about being unique and informative and not about making baseless claims.

Responsible
Don’t be reponsible — whatever you do. Show that you are responsible, but don’t claim it. Make them say how responsible you are in your review page. You will get less clicks to your listing if you claim to be responsible.

Dependable
Claiming to be dependable is as bad as claiming to be responsible. Just don’t!

Error-Free
It sounds too good to be true if you have signed 2000 error-free signings. Even if you claim 99.5% accuracy, nobody will believe it. Save it for the birds. You can’t prove it.

Detail-Oriented
The most sloppy people write that they are detail-oriented in their notes. This claim almost works against you.

Punctual
Prove it to your customers, but don’t claim it in your notes. This word just takes up space.

Professional
It is not bad to claim to be professional, but it doesn’t make it true either. This is more of a neutral non-buzz word. It won’t help you.

Modest
We use the word modest in our tutorial. But, don’t boast of being modest. Just be modest — or don’t just be modes.

Experienced
This is a neutral word, but it takes up space. It is better to say how experienced. Number of years is not as useful as number of loans and what types of loans. Be specific about your experience.

Personable
It is good to be friendly, but you need to back this up with some professional experience as a waitress or customer service experience. Make it sound believable and something people can put their finger on.

Flexible Schedule
Tell us your hours instead of saying flexible. Be specific.

I have a mentor
If you have not signed any loans, but your mentor is an expert, tell us how we can contact your mentor to hire them instead of you. Please keep the notes section about you and what you do, will do or have done.

You might also like:

Clarifying vague claims in your notes section
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4675

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

Share
>

March 7, 2017

When you really don’t wanna take the job

Filed under: Ken Edelstein,Popular on Facebook (A little),Popular on Linked In — Tags: — admin @ 9:25 pm

When You Really Don’t Wanna – Jackpot !!
Most of the time, like you, I look forward to the phone ringing with an assignment. But, not all the time. Today I had some reserved theatre tickets and really wanted to see the show. I had intended to shut off the cell phone, but reconsidered as I was hoping to hear from someone regarding personal matters. The tickets were for early afternoon, and the show was relatively close by.

Ring, Ring. We have an emergency, the assigned notary did not show, and our client is furious, can you be at their location within the hour? The CD is with the client. Please help us. OK, I say, I understand. But, I have theatre tickets for today and did not plan to work today. If I accept your assignment I will miss the show. This is a very high priority client – forget about the show – we need you!
They offer an amount at the high end of the normal edoc range. I tell them their offer is fair but I would have to add an additional xxx$ for the lost use of my tickets. If you have not been to a NYC Broadway show – tickets are much more than an edoc fee. Any edoc fee. Somewhat stunned, I get the “we will have to get back to you”.

About ten minutes later another call for a structured settlement. Again the “urgent” routine – and, much to my surprise – another story of a notary “no show”. The conversation goes exactly the same way as the edoc discussion. Fortunately, they want a time slot toward the end of the show. The same fee discussion takes place – again with a gasp about the high cost of NYC Broadway shows. But, this one was different – they wanted to close the deal immediately. I told them the fee was in advance and once paid I would only then be committed to their assignment. Within five minutes the fee was in my account, bye bye Broadway. They email me the slim package immediately and I confirm that the documents were printed. Previously, as with the edoc job, the ID requirements were discussed and guaranteed.

Ring, Ring. It’s the edoc job calling back to accept the way greater than normal fee. Hmmm, both jobs are now paying for my “not to be used tickets”. And again, as per my requirement; the fee is in my PayPal account. It’s good that the edoc and the structured settlement times did not conflict; and there would be adequate time to go from the edoc to the other.

This is getting really weird. Will there be a third “emergency – notary no show” in the same day – with the caller having Very Deep Pockets? Nope, that did not happen. But, two did, much to my astonishment. The tickets I had in hand went to some very nice neighbors, who were delighted to change their plans for the same day. They would see the show for free, and so would I; as I was being paid twice for the same tickets!

So, what’s the “take away” from my rantings? Well, my message is that if you “can” do the job – but, for some reason – “don’t wanna” – let the caller know your situation. Tell them honestly and frankly that logistically you are able – but have a specific reason to not want the assignment. Of course some reasons cannot be bought for any amount of money. Family commitments, medical plans, and similar obligations are not for sale. But, the tickets were going to be available again; it was not a “now or never”.

Sure – I got lucky. Rare is the windfall that creates a high dollar “double dip” fee expansion. But the concept of being “flexible” is my theme message. I know, our clients use that word to, in lieu of more pay, compliment us for waiting 5 hours for the docs to be ready. Stranger still is their inability to, in New York City of all places; not to find a base fee notary. Perhaps because it was a “go away” Friday of a holiday weekend?

Whatever their reasons, nothing would have happened if I brushed them off with a “Sorry, I’m booked”. That was not the case. I had something that I “wanted” to do; but did not “have to do”. Letting the caller know, frankly and honestly your situation (within reasonable limits) – allows them the option to bail out or to “work with you”. It was obvious to the callers that a routine fee would not work. Though very extreme, both were willing to cause me to change my plans, without incurring a severe financial hardship. A week later I will see the show, have earned two fees; and have enough left over to purchase a pair of tickets for a different show!

.

You might also like:

When to refuse a Notarization – a comprehensive guide
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18974

Are you a Yes-tary or a No-tary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16626

$300 in 13 minutes. How Carmen cleans up in the Notary business
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19284

Share
>

March 6, 2017

How do I advertise as a Notary Public?

Filed under: Advertising,Popular on Linked In — Tags: — admin @ 9:34 pm

General Advertising
If you are a Notary Public or a Mobile Notary Public, it is critical that clients know how to find you. Some Notaries have a store front. In such a case, you just put a large sign saying Notary Public. You could put a sign on your car saying Notary Public and a phone number as well. It’s generally a good idea to pass our business cards to people in the neighborhood or your town so they know where to go if they need a Notary. Additionally hospitals and nursing homes need Notaries regularly.

Yellow Pages
The yellow pages online and offline sometimes get good results for Mobile Notaries although not always.You can gets out various yellow pages and see which ones get results.

Online Directories
These days, the way mobile notaries get most of their work is through online directories. 123notary, Notary Rotary, and Snapdocs and the three most popular in 2016. 123notary offers free listings, but also has paid listings where you can be at the top of the list in your area. Notary Rotary also has free and paid listings and lists Notaries in order of proximity to the zip code being queried. Snapdocs charges the Lender or Signing Company a small fee ($8 last I heard) to seach for a Notary and send docs using their system. Snapdocs pays Notaries the least and has cattle calls via text to alert mass amounts of Notaries for each job. But, on a brighter note, it is a great opportunity for newer Notaries to get work.

Websites
A Notary website of your own can be a huge money drain. On the other hand, it is a great way to show the world you are serious about the business and show all of your specialties, contact information, and more.

That is pretty much it as far as how you advertise as a Notary Public. If you have any further questions, email us at info@123notary.com

.

You might also like:

Additions to policies regarding listings, certification and elite
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19431

Notary Marketing 102 – a comprehensive guide to marketing your services
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19774

Share
>

March 4, 2017

SnapDocs is a bigger operation than I thought

Filed under: Popular Overall,Uncategorized — Tags: , — admin @ 10:34 pm

123notary is a small, but high quality organization that has a database of Notaries that is nationwide. We offer refined information that we check regularly for accuracy. We never experienced any serious competition until SnapDocs appeared in 2012. SnapDocs didn’t get too much serious traffic until 2015 when we started to really feel their presence.

But, they are not a mom & pop organization like we are. They are a huge technology company that processes 40,000 loans per month. They automate a lot of the back office processes that go into preparing a loan for the closing process as well as parts of the loan signing process such as finding a Notary.

SnapDocs charges $8 per loan signing according to what I have heard. If they have 40,000 loans per month, their income is $320,000 per month or about 4 million per year. They also have a team of programmers and engineers to keep their operation afloat.

They are located in San Francisco, CA with another venue in San Jose, CA which is the tech capitol of the world as far as I’m concerned.

I’m beginning to be concerned that we will lose a lot of market share due to them, especially if they get smarter about taking market share.

You might also like:

See our STRING about Snapdocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=snapdocs

The Uber principle at Snapdocs — new blood
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18868

The History of 123notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18868

Share
>