February 2021 - Notary Blog - Signing Tips, Marketing Tips, General Notary Advice - 123notary.com
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February 28, 2021

Depression & Paralysis are in the atmosphere & affects Notary business

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 4:20 am

Some Notaries say they are super busy. But, many are just slowing down. I feel that depression, fear, and emotional paralysis are in the air in the first part of 2020, and perhaps the second part as well. The whole world basically shut down, and is trying to figure out how to reopen. California reopened and then shut bars and indoor restaurant seating down again. What a blow to our freedoms.

A feeling of sadness and helplessness afflict many. Alcoholism, child abuse, suicide are exponentially higher. Traffic in Los Angeles is at 25% in my area. But, I went to the San Fernando Valley and saw heavy traffic on the 101. This was the first traffic I had seen in months. I just wonder what will become of our economy if nobody is driving. The sky is a little too clear.

Carmen became less active and then suffered a devastating health set back which she can describe to you if she likes. I don’t know the details. I became lethargic because I had no energy. Three months without a massage, and I was juice fasting and hiking too much. My energy was depleted from many different angles. But, now I am building my energy back up and attacking my work. Instead of juice fasting I am doing intermittant fasting where I eat only 8 hours per day and fast the rest of the time. It is easy and leaves me less hungry even though I am having less calories than juice fasting.

I am going to Joshua Tree and Arizona tomorrow. I am writing this July 3rd, 2020 but it won’t be published until long after that just to get perspective.

So, that is how it is. It is critical to remain positive. Some do this by listening to music, walking, hiking, doing happy things, and most important — don’t listen to the news. It’s mostly fake, and will just depress you. Take a media break — as it is called.

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February 27, 2021

South Carolina Acknowledgment Certificate Wording

South Carolina Notary Acknowledgment Wording
South Carolina Notary Acknowledgment Verbiage
South Carolina Notary Acknowledgment Form
South Carolina Notary Acknowledgment Certificate
South Carolina Acknowledgment Wording
South Carolina Acknowledgment Verbiage
South Carolina Acknowledgment Form
South Carolina Acknowledgment Certificate
SC Notary Wording

State of _____________
County of ___________
The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this _______ (date) by_________ (name of person acknowledged).

______________________________________
(Signature of Person Taking Acknowledgment) (Seal) (Title or Rank) (Serial Number, if any)

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February 26, 2021

Notaries are angry at the Secretary of State

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 4:16 am

Notaries are angry at the Secretary of State for making too many new restrictions on Notaries. Some make it a requirement to get a notary for absentee ballots, others want N-95 masks used, and there are other restrictions too. This group started a Notary Lives Matter group and burned down a CVS. Why is it always a CVS that gets burned down and a mayor who says, “Oh, they are just blowing off some steam.” Why not a Pizza Hut? Why not a liquor store? Why always CVS? What has CVS ever done to Notaries… or Black Lives Matter folks other than selling much needed prescription drugs to their grandmothers.

Then there is another group of Notaries who says there are not enough restrictions on Notaries and that is a danger to society. This alternate group claims that people will die because Notaries are allowed to leave their houses. This other group is threatening to block the entrance to the Secretary of State’s office if they don’t meet their demands.

But, if the block the entrance, wouldn’t that involved they themselves leaving their house? The hypocracy… It is even worse than hippocracy — it’s what I call rhinocracy. So, I guess that Americans and Notaries will never agree on anything and cannot agree on anything. Can’t we just do our own thing and get along?

I feel that the bigger problem with society these days is that Americans cannot be happy unless they can get legislation that will use force to prevent others from doing what they want — or force them to do what they don’t want to do, or make them pay for something that benefits everyone but them. It all seems very unfair, unjust or even criminal. What is the world coming to. They way it is looking, I don’t think there will be an America in several years. God knows how our banking system will work with the Feds gone. My guru prophesized this many years ago and it seems to be coming true now. He said America would be victim to a serious of uncontrollable natural disasters, go bankrupt, and cease to be a nation. I would give us a maximum of about seven years the way we are going.

In any case, the group Notary Lives Matter doesn’t care at all about the lives of Notaries, they just care about being able to do whatever they want to do, and care about spraying NLM graffiti wherever they please. So, there you have it. Personally, I think we should just ignore this crisis and live as normal — but, that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?

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February 24, 2021

Older folks love being Notaries

Filed under: General Articles — admin @ 4:15 am

If you look at the average age of people who are Notaries on 123notary, they are not spring chickens sonny. No they’re not. They are generally 50-75. Many are retired. Many have health problems including cancer, diabetes, and more. None to my knowledge have died of Covid19, yet the only thing we worry about is Covid19 because we let TV brainwash us.

We give television verbal consent to brainwash us, tell us what to think, tell us what our priorities are, what to worry about, and what to ignore. Television tells us that segregationists are anti-racist, and that those who provided more jobs to black people than ever before in America history ARE racists. TV has really gained “credibility” with me with all of this reliable information, what about you? But, I digress.

Some of our older Notaries are Real Estate brokers, or used to be, were in insurance, mortgage or some other related professions. People love the freedom of the job. I’m sure that elderly people with breathing problems love wearing an N-95 mask which makes it impossible to breathe. But, once again, I digress.

So, let’s look at some reasons why the 60+ segment of society love being notaries so much.

1. Meet new people and ID them
2. Make your own schedule so you don’t have to over do it. You take a day off work if you are having a day when you are fatigued or having a senior moment.
3. You get to drive around and get paid for that! Great if there is good scenery or foliage.
4. Make extra money to supplement social security
5. Not have a boss unless you consider yourself to be your own boss. And some self-employed people are mean bosses to themselves.
6. Talk about the good old days with the borrowers and signing companies.
7. Save up for that RV
8. Some people enjoy documents, FedEx, and the notarization process.
9. Some borrowers have cats, and many elderly people love cats. In fact, many elderly people have a dozen cats at home that like jumping on things.
10. Have something to talk about at the hair salon.
11. It makes them feel 20 years younger.
12. If they live beyond their “expiration date” they feel they won a moral victory.

Please comment if you have any other reasons why seniors would like becoming a Notary.

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February 22, 2021

Does my welcome call boost your confidence?

Filed under: Advertising — admin @ 4:12 am

When I make welcome calls, the purpose is to get your information straight, answer any questions you have, and to acquaint myself with you. Most people don’t like to talk much, and have very little input to give me. But, there are always a few who are bright and bushy-tailed and have lots of insecurities and questions about the industry.

I try to help people decide how much E&O to get, and whom to get it from. What certification course(s) to take and why. I recommend ours as well as other agencies — they get free sales work from me (how nice of me.) How to contact companies, how to get reviews, and what to think about as a new signing agent. I help with all of these things.

It is hard as a new signing agent. It is hard to have confidence when you really don’t know which end is up or what your end of the bargain is. The fact is that you don’t need to know much about the documents, but you do need to know how to market yourself and handle situations.

Basically, whatever they teach in certification courses is the opposite of what you need to know — not that I am knocking traditional knowledge. You need to know where basic information is in the documents — where the rate, APR, prepayment penalty, 1st payment due, fees, closing costs, etc. you need to know why the rate is lower than the APR and how to date the Right to Rescind. You need to know how to be a good Notary — that is a little harder. But, the hard part is how to get used and handle difficult companies. We teach this if you read our marketing materials in our blog.

I hope I can help you with your confidence. The honest truth is that knowledge and a little experience go a long way. So read our tutorials on the blog and study from various sources and be solid in what you know. I feel confidence in others when they are solid. You can feel confidence in yourself when you are solid.

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February 20, 2021

How dangerous is it to be a mobile notary?

Filed under: Business Tips — admin @ 4:14 am

How dangerous is it to be a mobile notary? We have written other blog articles on the topic. The answer is — not very dangerous. But, there are some dangers and the trick is to know how to safeguard yourself.

1. Neighborhoods
If you go to a bad area at night, that is mildly dangerous. You are more likely to get hit by a truck than have a problem in a bad neighborhood, but you know how people feel. Speaking of which, I actually got bumped by an 18 wheeler. No damage was done because the angels were protecting me — thanks angels! It was on a highway in stop and go traffic. I was stopped, but he took his foot off the brakes as he was daydreaming and bumped me at half a mile per hour.

2. Crazy people
The only serious issue we had with a notary was the one who was pushed down a short flight of stairs because the borrower didn’t like his APR. That was one Notary out of 65,000 we have listed in our history. So, the risk level is low, unless… someone doesn’t like their APR. Go over the stats by phone before you get to the signing. Also, if at a signing, make sure you either know your escape route, or make sure you are bigger than the other people there — or both.

3. Animals
You are more in danger from animals. Humans who can’t behave are already generally in prison. But, someone could have a crazy pet who bites you or chews on your clothing, or pees on your leg. It it happened to you, it would not be the first time. There was another story about a pit bull running wild in a neighborhood and a borrower came out of his house with his gun drawn when the notary came. He had to explain what happened to the notary who was going to protect himself by brandishing his embossing seal.

4. Accidents
Accidents are a fact of life, flat tires, breakdowns. People can die in accidents. We haven’t had any notaries die of accidents or anything other than cancer or old age, but it could happen.

5. Court Cases
Notaries don’t discuss this much on forums, but 1 in 7 long term notaries who is active has had to appear before a judge because of a notarization they did. There were two notaries in Oklahoma who lost their commission because they failed to administer an obligatory Oath to their clients for an Affidavit they notarized. They are lucky they didn’t get locked up. One notary in Sacramento committed identity fraud and got locked up. In total we have had two criminal Notaries who engaged in purposeful fraud and got locked up. Two out of 65,000 is not that bad, not to mention another who allegedly stole OxyCodene from a signer and was not arrested.

6. Covid19
No Notary has died of Covid19, or even gotten sick on the job as far as we know. They went overboard taking ridiculously over-kill type precautions that ruin the fun of notarizing. Many notarized outside or wearing suffocation inducing N-95 masks to be “safe.” How safe are you being if you can’t breathe? Others sat 10 feet away from the others or did notarizations on their trunk or in their car. Such insanity is just plain insane, but nobody got sick to our knowledge. In fact, only a handful of Notaries reported having been sick with Covid19 to us and they got better after a few weeks and didn’t have any serious symptoms other than losing their sense of taste. In those interior states, the food is so bland that losing your sense of taste won’t affect you that much.

7. Notaritus
I just made up this disease, it is not as bad as “Stamp Elbow” but is the next worst thing. It is an infectious disease that only Notaries get. I’m not sure what the symptoms are as this is an imaginary disease. I’ll think about it.

8. Getting sued for using someone’s business name
This almost happened to a client. But, the person who trademarked the name came after my server company which created a huge headache. I have no problem removing a business name from our site, but do you have to call in the national guard over such a small issue?

SUMMARY
So, what is the most dangerous of all the things that can happen to a Notary? I would say that the legal risks are a huge risk. Although if you are very cautious about how you do your work and avoid hospital signings you will lower your risk. Crazy people would be next as we have a serious injury recorded. I would then say that animals are the next most dangerous although they normally don’t kill you. Many Notaries feel “safe” because they are wearing an N-95 mask, but that only protects you 50% from a disease that hasn’t killed any Notaries known to us so far. But, it will not make you safe from court cases, animals, or crazy humans. So, let’s focus on real dangers and not ones that you have been brainwashed into believing are the only threats to your existence.

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February 18, 2021

Notarizing Fauci

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 4:09 am

A Notary went to notarize Dr. Fauci. Fauci said that the only way he could be notarized would be by looking at the numbers.

The notary said he wanted $15 per signature and if there were two signatures then $30. The notary assured Fauci that the rising quantity of signatures do not translate directly into an increase in hospitalizations.

But, Fauci said he could not consent to being notarized until the numbers went down and that he bases his decision on “the numbers” and “the science.”

So, the Notary said, “Okay, I’ll lower my price to $14 for the first signature or $23 for two.” Fauci said, “Deal.”

Then the Notary asked if he would have to wear a facemask or if Fauci would, or both of them — or would it depend on “the numbers?” Fauci said that both of them would and that they would have to sterilize the pen, stamp, and documents as well.

A bystander stated — the human immune system is strengthened by getting sunshine, happiness and by being exposed to viruses so it can build up its strength and genetic knowledge of viruses to be able to effectively fight future new viruses. By locking yourself in your house, depriving yourself of sunshine, social interaction that leads to happiness, and virus exposure which strengthen the immune system — you are leaving yourself in a vulnerable state for when you finally come out of hiding and will be a lot more susceptible to future viruses.

Then the Notary said, “Yes, but you can’t say that because that isn’t consistent with the narrative.” The bystander said, “Good point — carry on.”

The Notary went so far as to get a plexiglass divider between himself and Fauci that he hauled in his car to the site of the signing just to add to the insanity and inhumanity of the situation.

My question is — why is it that everywhere I go I see paranoia, plexiglass, facemasks and insanity, when only 1 in 1 million people is dying per day of Covid19 in California and those numbers are vastly inflated to meet a BS narrative.

Ending comments
Covid Covid Covid. Covid, oh my God Covid. What if I get Covid? Covid Covid Covid. Nothing else in the universe matters except for the dozen or so unarmed blacks who get killed by cops every year and Covid. The million who die per year of cancer and other who die of obesity, heart attacks, and suicide don’t matter even though their lives are also preventable because cancer isn’t contagious. The only thing that matters is – Covid, oh my god Covid. Covid Covid Covid. What if I get Covid? This is what a typical 20 year old in Los Angeles thinks who has a 1 in 10 million chance of dying from Covid, but a much higher chance of getting hit by a truck, but they never think about that because they are Covidiots. If you are elderly and have serious health problems then you have a legitimate right to worry about Covid. Every one else — does not! Why are educated humans so stupid that they voluntarily line up to get brainwashed by absolutely see through fake BS? I’m glad the universities are shut because they don’t learn anything except about neo-Marxism and they don’t even learn that correctly.

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February 16, 2021

1 Million E&O vs. 25,000. How does that affect your popularity?

Filed under: Business Tips — admin @ 4:08 am

I analyzed click averages of many listings and found that if you have a lot of Errors and Omissions insurance, that will raise your click average. I only analyzed a few dozen listings, but found that those with 100K get about 5% more clicks than those with 25K E&O, and those with 1 Million get more, but there were too few to analyze and give a clear assessment of what the improvement was.

Some of the big title companies want a lot of insurance, but what they want is different from company to company and changes over time. It is kind of like me trying to explain to you what a cumulous cloud looks like in my area. By the time I describe it to you, it will have morphed again.

E&O is not really important, and is more of a fashion statement. I have never heard of anyone actually filing a claim on it. But, people hiring Notaries think you are more serious when you have more of it. So, if you are serious, or want to look serious, or at least act serious, or play someone serious on TV, then consider calling the NNA and upping your insurance.

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February 15, 2021

Jeremy watches the news

Filed under: General Stories — admin @ 3:18 am

I watch my news on youtube. I can check various news sources. It seems they are all controlled by the same entity. Fox news tends to chop down the other networks, but none of them tell you the real truth or so I claim.

JEREMY: Hmm, let’s see what’s on NBC news. What should I be scared about today? I think I should be scared about something. It’s either Covid, baseless claims of voter fraud (even though there are heaps of evidence it is still “baseless”, war, riots, or racism…

LESTER HOLT: (NBC news music . da. da. ta da da da …… da . da. ta da da da…. symbol crash… da da ta da da da…. symbol crash…) Be scared…. If you are not scared… you should be scared. this music we play is neurolinguistic programming to get you scared… Then when you hear our selectively scary news, you will be even more scared. There is a new strain of Covid that’s even more deadly than before… It makes you grow horns out of your head and it spreads 72.3% faster than the regular strain — be scared. And this strain is not only dangerous for adults — CHILDREN get it. Here is a 2 year old at Cedar’s hospital in Missouri who just turned blue. She will never be the same again and she might not make it. The solution? Stop having fun, socially distance, cancel Christmas, don’t go to church, and for God’s sake — don’t be happy or make a living, especially if you are a Notary Public or essential worker!

JEREMY: hmmm. I guess they pick that one 2 year old out of the 5 million 2 year olds in America that is having a problem, but don’t bother to mention that the other two year olds are almost completely resistant to Covid. Let’s look up to see how the Vaccine is going.

NEWSCASTER: Good news… Sally is the first one to get the vaccine and she is an African American woman. Finally, people from communities that were traditionally disadvantage can have access to cutting edge medicine.

JEREMY: That woman is about 33 and at no risk of Covid. Why are they going out of their way to show how they can give a vaccine to a black person who doesn’t need it at all at the expense of an elderly person who does — assuming it is a real vaccine which is a lot to assume with all the BS going on. Hmm. A black woman of child bearing age. What is their angle?

TUCKER CARLSON: In the news today… (Fox News)

JEREMY: Hmm. I bet Tucker is going to poke holes in hypocrisy today. He will chop down baseless claims that some Democrat made. Maybe Chuck Schumer, or Rashida Tlaib, or possibly AOC. Who will he criticize today, or should I say — which Democrat will he make a fool out of?

TUCKER: Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina wants to give funding to a gender equality program in Pakistan.

JEREMY: What??? Tucker is criticizing Republicans now? I have seen everything now. The end is near. I’ll start getting gifts for the Messiah ready should I live so long. Looks like Senator Graham is being too “Progressive.”

TUCKER: He wants to spend OUR tax dollars, or should I say our hard earned money in some foreign country telling them to rethink their gender roles. Isn’t that THEIR business how their society runs? Why should we butt into their business using money from unconsenting tax payers?

JEREMY: Hmmm. Looks like the Republicans have become leftists. Next thing you know, AOC will become anti-abortion.

HANNITY: (Fox News) In the news, AOC has reported that she has a new stance on a very critical social issue — she is no longer pro choice…. I repeat, she is no longer pro choice. She considers abortion wrong, not because it involves killing but because it leads to inequality.

JEREMY: I think I should stick to listening to music on youtube. All of this news is driving me crazy.

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February 14, 2021

Do you take the $75 signings or save time for the $200 signings?

Filed under: Notary Fees & Pricing — admin @ 3:54 am

In my many years of being in the Notary directory business I have encountered many types of Notaries. Some work for cheap and try to make money with volume. Others try to do a great job for their customers and just do one or two jobs per day for a large sum of money. Then there are people who are clueless who take $40 jobs that are two hours away and end up just complaining only to take more jobs just like that in the future.

Every time you take a job, you are using up your phone time, patience, wear and tear on your car, gas, toner or wear and tear on your printer, paper, and more. Every time you drive somewhere, you should calculate how many minutes it took, how many miles, and whether they were highway or surface road miles. Highway miles put less wear on your car unless it is stop and go by the way. If you do a job for $40, and your total expenses are $15, and you put three hours into the job including phone calls, driving, signing, and dropping the package, you just made less than $12 per hour for your labor.

On the other hand, newer Notaries might have trouble attracting the higher paying jobs. So, if you turn down all of the lower paying work, you might not get any work, or might not have any work on particular days.

So, what do I recommend? You need a complicated pricing strategy. If people book in advance, you might offer them a lower price. That way you can keep your schedule medium booked. For same day orders, you can charge according to how your schedule looks.

Or, you could have a minimum price for signings. You could set your minimum at $90 and then charge extra for printing, long drives, and signings that are 150 pages or longer. For me, I charge based on my time.

Or you could book your first job of the day at a lower price, and then charge more for subsequent jobs. That way you will make money every day, and still have a shot at the big bucks.

Experienced Notaries often reject most jobs and stick to a much higher minimum like $125 or $150. They have the client base to be able to get away with that. If you have signed less than 5000 loans, you probably cannot command such high rates all of the time. You might get high pay on a third or a half of your signings, but not on all.

But, whatever you do, calculate the costs and time invested in each job, and try to figure out what your hourly rate would be for particular jobs before you accept a quote. And if you have signed less than 1000 loans, don’t be too picky because you need to pay your dues and get more experience so that you can become more valuable.

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