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October 17, 2016

123notary has more high spots available

Filed under: Advertising,Popular on Facebook (A little) — Tags: , — admin @ 11:34 pm

123notary used to be booked solid in most of the big metros. But, because we refuse to lower prices, we have availability. 123notary likes higher prices because we weed out most of the mediocre notaries with high prices. We like to maintain the highest quality search results that we can. But, this results in empty spots. Not all metros have empty spots, but many do.

You can contact us to see if we have any high spots in your area. Purchasing a high spot on 123notary means that the Title companies will see you immediately upon browsing a particular city’s search results or zip code’s search results. Top spots get called first, have more choices for who they work for and normally get paid more. Notaries at the bottom of the list get the leftovers that nobody else wants if they get anything at all. So, do you want feasts or crumbs? You decide! If you are serious about this business, spending a few hundred extra per year won’t break you, but it could help make you.

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October 6, 2016

The History of 123notary.com

Filed under: Advertising — Tags: , , — admin @ 10:22 pm

Many people know that 123notary is the one venue to advertise your Mobile Notary service that systematically gets results. We are the go-to site for notary advertising. Some people rave about the results we get. Others complain about how they don’t like our sometimes strict policies. But, almost all love the zany stories and helpful tips in our blog. So, let’s break it down how 123notary got started, and what we do.

The History of 123notary

123notary started back in 1999 and was originally designed to be an advertising site just for Jeremy. The other sites weren’t getting him enough business, so it was time to take control of advertising so there would be enough work. As time went on, the site graduated from being a purely Southern California directory covering only five counties to covering all of California. By 2001, we covered the entire United States.

Building up 123notary from scratch

We started this directory knowing almost nothing about the directory business. We just put a bunch of names and numbers on a list. Little did we realize that there is a lot more to running a directory than that. We realized we needed critical mass, so we added more than a thousand names to the list. Along with a bunch of other technical realizations about placement levels for additional counties, zip search results, etc., we realized that people drop out. As people drop out of the Notary business, we need new Notaries dropping in. My huge project adding 1000 Notaries to the list was something that would have to be repeated. So, a few years later, I added more people. Our numbers went up, and then month by month the numbers went down. This arduous process of adding names to the list would have to be repeated once again as our stats kept going down. After a while, it became a realization that we needed an organized way to keep our numbers up. So, I decided to create a monthly plan to add new Notaries to our list every month, and remove defunct listings every month as well. That system worked miracles and from that day forward, 123notary maintained a steady quantity of Notaries around 6200-7400.

Amazing breakthroughs in 2008 & 2009

Additionally, in 2008, the online advertising with Google Adwords started to get a lot more expensive. It was necessary to find a more cost-effective way to get clicks. Learning SEO was something that took a few years, but with a fantastic programmer named Mark, Jeremy was able to learn the art of SEO and get 123notary double the clicks it was getting before. The following year (2009) Mitch got Jeremy started on blogging and social media which again worked wonders for 123notary’s SEO, although that miracle took years to unfold.

What is 123notary now?
123notary is a the premiere Notary directory in the industry. No other directory has as high a quality of Notaries or gets as much traffic. We keep more information on our Notaries than any other directory. We have the general contact info, hours of operation, but also get into Notary specialties such as Reverse Mortgages, Hospital Signings, Immigration Documents, E&O insurance, Foreign Languages, and more. Additionally, 123notary goes through and helps Notaries edit their notes sections to make them easier to read and more informative. 123notary gets about 170,000 visitors per month and has about 6900 Notaries on board as of June, 2016.

Advertising

You can advertise with 123notary as a Mobile Notary for as little as $59 per year. Although we offer FREE listings which appear at the bottom of the search results, you can also elect to get a preferential listing for $99 or be #1 on the search results for a quoted price which might range from $200 on up depending on the area.

eCourses

123notary also sells loan signing certification courses and combos. Our most popular is the LS#3 combo which gives a thorough guide to loan signing, keeping records, marketing your services, examples of loan documents, and more. You can get a physical book or an ecourse. Read the course description!

How do I do well on 123notary?

To do well on 123notary requires more than just paying us an annual fee. You need to maintain your listing a little bit too, but it isn’t rocket science, and you have experienced professionals who are here to help at no extra cost. You need to write an amazing notes section about your experience, what’s unique about you, equipment, memberships, coverage areas, etc. We will help you edit your notes section at no cost to make it better organized and attractive. You also need reviews from your satisfied clients on your listing. All you have to do is ask, and email them a link, and some (but, unfortunately not all) of them will write you a review. A few reviews are like gold and will magically transform your listing as that is what the users want to see.

Help is always there when you advertise with 123notary

Other directories just take your money and leave you on your own. At 123notary, you can email us or call our 888 number for help. We give help with passwords for your listing, or ecourse. We also give free marketing and technical tips if you have a question. We’ll help brush up your listing at no cost as well as help you choose a business name — at at no cost if you have a paid listing with us!

Our Notary Newsletter

In addition to providing advertising and courses, 123notary also has a free newsletter which has more than 5000 followers. Our newsletter is a free source of great industry information and laughs as well. We have articles about new signing companies, signing company gossip, technical signing agent tips, mobile notary marketing tips, and also comedy articles especially written for the Notary industry. No other newsletter provides the same diversity or quality of articles as we do. So, email us at info@123notary.com to sign up today!

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You might also like:

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

The story of 123notary.com
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=710

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February 26, 2016

December 21, 2014

123notary Reviews

There are many sites out there that recommend 123notary. However, there is no organized way to find testimonials or reviews about 123notary.com. There are individual notary web pages that mention that they are certified or elite certified by 123notary.com. There are resource pages which recommend 123notary as a resource as well. Additionally, on Facebook, there are discussions where notaries give their honest opinion about which notary directory they like the most. Sometimes they like 123notary most while others prefer Notary Rotary or Notary Cafe.

Here are some links to sites that have unbiased commentary about 123notary.com.

Read this one first!
Leon Austin comments that 123notary certification is hard, but in terms of return on investment, has been one of the best!
http://leona.activerain.com/post/921279/123notary-certification

Trustlink
3 reviews about us. Two had amazingly good luck while another is sore about his free listing being removed. Can’t please them all!
https://www.trustlink.org/Reviews/123Notarycom-205850296

Notary Memphis
This site gives a quick description of the perks of 123notary and other notary sites.
http://freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~timgatewood/notary/notarylinks.html

Houston Mobile Notary Service
They describe the benefits of 123notary Elite certification.
http://www.houstonmobilenotaryservice.com/accreditations.html

Helpful Links
Find helpful links here about many notary organizations including 123notary!
http://www.alldocumentsmobilenotary.com/helpful-links/

How to get started as a mobile notary.
123notary is listed as a resource
http://afterhoursva.com/how-to-get-started-as-a-notary-signing-agent/

#123notary on our blog
We have many posts under the tag #123notary on our blog. It is us talking about us, but interesting reading none-the-less.
It includes one negative review about us from a Russian lady who complained she got too many calls for notary work from our site. Of all the bad reviews I’ve ever gotten, that is the absolute best.
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=123notary

CA Notary Services
This notary is Certified by 123notary and his page shows up on the first page of Google because he links to his own page from his other sites. Interesting!
http://www.123notary.com/notary-info.asp?id=82389

The Delaware Notary Association
They list 123notary as a resource
http://www.delawarenotaryassociation.org/default.aspx?PageId=9

Florida Preferred Notary
This Notary is Elite certified by 123notary!
http://www.floridapreferrednotary.com/Resources.php

Instagram Photos of 123notary
http://iconosquare.com/tag/123notary

Julian Hill
He produced a VIDEO about his notary service in NYC & mentions he is 123notary certified
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d90AQInXPBg

Here is an Elite Certified Notary’s website
http://www.mobilesignings.com/?p=101

Frank Tabacca is a member of many notary organizations and 123notary certified!
http://www.marinprecisionnotary.com/about/

Notaries discuss 123notary’s Elite Certification
This discussion doesn’t exactly support my cause of selling more Elite certifications. Many notaries claim that more certifications are not necessary. One compares them to Boy Scout Merit Badges. However, in real life, Elite certified signers get 4x the business than those not certified by 123notary in similar positions in the search results!
https://www.facebook.com/123notary/posts/10151408367726466

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You might also like:

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123notary’s Google+ Page
This is brand new, and it is yet another place to read our notary posts and shares. There is also a community where you can post your own content. Anyone with a Gmail account can participate in our community. Just join!
https://plus.google.com/115707701763602775915/posts

123notary’s Linked In Page
For discussions that are fun, visit our Facebook page. But, if you want practical down to business discussions, our Linked In members are top notch in this respect and will deliver riveting opinions!
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/123Notary-Notary-directory-information-discussions-4139192

My personal Twitter
I use it more for notary tweets than anything else, but there are all types of tweets there if you are interested.
https://twitter.com/jbelmontnotary

123notary listings on 123epayment.
Purchase listings here. But, you might ask Carmen first before you make a purchase just to be on the safe side.
https://www.123epayment.com/result.asp?cat=5

Our travel blog! Great foodie & travel information
http://blog.meander411.com/

123ecourses.com
This is where we have our certification courses and tests!
http://www.123ecourses.com/

123notary vs. Notary Rotary
The notaries disagree as to which site gets them more business. Read the nitty gritty!
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23

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November 2, 2013

5 or 6 reviews doubles your business?

5 or 6 reviews doubles your business?

OMG! Can that really be true? But, this is not a secret. We tell everyone. Statistically, if you get five or six reviews on your listing, you would get double the calls that you would get if you had no reviews. This is an average, and is not true in all cases. The main thing you have to realize is that people who use 123notary are looking at various things. They are looking to see if you are certified by 123notary (not by NNA). They are looking at your notes section — is yours informative or does it sound like everyone else’s? And most important, they are looking to see if you have reviews.

The top notary didn’t have a review…
Imagine that you are looking at a list of 20 notaries in Wahacha County, State-achusetts. Let’s say that the top notary on the list has no reviews, but someone down the list has fifteen reviews. You might be tempted to call that guy down the list first, and then as a backup, you might call that top notary who has no reviews. Placement on 123notary matters, but so do reviews!

It is a competition!
The most important thing to understand is that notaries who have more reviews than any other notary in their area tend to get more calls. If the notary with the most reviews in your area has three reviews, and you also have three, you are okay. You need to be mindful that someone could get a few new ones while you are not paying attention. But, what if you have six reviews, the next best notary in town has five reviews, and then you slack off. The next thing you know, someone new and enthusiastic might get ten reviews right away, and your phone might stop ringing. This is a competition. Take it seriously. Your income depends on it!

How to ask and who to ask?
You get reviews by asking satisfied clients to write a review for you. Email them a link to your review page as well. Signing & Title companies are the least likely to write a review for you. But, individuals and borrowers who you did a nice job for might be very happy to write a review. Ask everyone, but expect less of those big companies. Every other notary in town is also asking them for a review and they are buried with requests. You might even consider taking on more “regular” notary jobs for individuals, just so it might be easier to accumulate reviews.

Keep reviews fresh!
Freshness of reviews matters too. If all of your reviews are from 2009, people who read the reviews will remember that Janet Jackson song — What have you done for me lately? How come no recent reviews? Think about it.

If you have any questions about getting reviews, ask us!

Please read more about reviews
http://blog.123notary.com/?cat=287

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May 14, 2012

123notary behind the scenes

123notary behind the scenes

All of you know what 123notary Notary Directory looks like on the surface, and you know what some of the rules are, and if the site works for you or not. But, have you ever wondered how 123notary is run? We are not a typical company to say the least. I have read books about Starbucks and how they do it, and Cliffbar as well. Their stories are unique and interesting. But, 123notary’s story is interesting too!

When we started
123notary started as a Notary Directory in 1999 on a shoestring in the ashes of the .net bust. It was my idea after seeing how the NNA’s signing agent directory was not always easy to use. I noticed that if you needed a notary in a particular county, that if nobody was in that county and you didn’t know the names of neighboring counties, you would not be able to use their site without an atlas to find out what the neighboring counties names were. Few of us carry a nationwide atlas with us. So, I wanted to start a directory with more features than the other guys. Also, I needed a way to market my own personal notary services as yellow pages were really expensive.

You can read about our growth in other blog entries and our about us page. We started as a California only directory, and then slowly spread out into other states. But, one of our notaries pointed out, that we should tell everyone how 123notary is run NOW.

How were we run in previous years?
I started out doing everything myself. My father helped with programming our Notary Directory back in 2001, but then we hired a local programming house to handle the programming after that. Business was very slow until 2003 when overnight in March, things just started to take off. Revenue multiplied by ten, and the phone was ringing off the hook. I found that working 12 hours a day was crazy and I couldn’t handle it for long. A lady named Carmen bought a course from me and kept calling asking me questions about loan signing. We spent a lot of time talking. I found that she was so smart and people saavy, that I wanted to hire her. She was very resistant at first, but I talked her into it. She was very busy doing signings for several years, and didn’t go full time with us until 2006. I started taking it easy in 2006 and 2007 because I was exhausted from all of the hard work. I wanted to meditate more and do more hiking. Then, in 2008, I started to work on optimization. I worked very hard, and through good strategy and hard work, brought a lot more traffic to the site.

How are we run now?
Most companies have an office and are centralized. 123notary has no office and no employees. I work at home on my computer and my cell phone. I don’t even have a landline because our building has some problems with the phone lines getting scrambled, and they couldn’t fix my line. Carmen is a subcontractor paid on commission and works from her home roughly 4 miles from me. Additionally, I travel quite a bit, and do a lot of my work on the road from Northern California. I sometimes go overseas and have been to Europe and India where I did my work at internet cafes.

Who does what?
Carmen is the person people are more familiar with, because she is in the front lines. Carmen does incoming phones and answers everyone’s questions. I do most of the emails and outgoing phone calls myself. But, there are more people involved in 123notary’s functionality that we can not ignore. There are programmers. We have a team in Los Angeles, and another team in India. Additionally, we have a company in El Monte who is helping us with social media including Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, and Blogging which really helps keep search traffic coming in so you guys can get work. Once in a while I hire someone to do outgoing phone calls for welcome calls and update calls as well.

What else?
Where are our servers? — one person asked. We have a server at a programmer’s office in El Monte, with a backup server in Dallas, TX in a data center. It would take a tsumani, earthquake, and WW3 all combined to take our servers down. There is a lady in downtown Los Angeles who helps us a little bit with artwork. Communication is hard, as I only know 30 words in Korean, and she only knows 30 words in English — but, we work well as a team because she is so talented and efficient!

What is a typical day like for Carmen?
For Carmen, she answers the phone all day long, sends passwords, and takes orders. It is pretty much the same every day, but at the end of the month, there are far more phone calls and it gets crazy. Carmen gets about 25 calls a day on regular days, but at the end of the month it could be double easily.

What is a typical day like for Jeremy?
For me, I answer emails first, then process orders and mark people as renewed who paid their bills. I do a small email blast every day or two to tell people about what is going on in our blog, or a reminder to update or renew. Additionally, I write tons of blog entries, and do phone calls to people who are renewing soon. I have to supervise programmers in America and in India, so that can be time consuming and frustrating if they don’t understand my complicated instructions. Additionally, I write for our Facebook campaign and Twitter too. I have to come up with strategies for optimizing and detailed plans for modifying programming. There are many internal formulas in 123notary that help us to know which notaries have better stats, and that takes a lot of thinking to plan. I typically will work seven days a week for a few weeks, and then take a week off in the mountains. I find Los Angeles to be too stressful for me, so I need fresh air, streams and mountains to bring me back to my inner rhythm.

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You might also like:

Who is involved with 123notary behind the scenes?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18888

Compilation of stories on the blog categorized
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21898

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December 2, 2011

How much can a notary charge in 2014 / 2015?

How much can a notary charge for a …

Q. How much can a notary charge for a witness signature?
A. The notary can charge whatever your state’s maximum notary fee is if you are notarizing a signature of a witness. Please visit our find a notary page, and then look up your state.
http://www.123notary.com/find-a-notary-public.asp

Q. How much can a notary charge for travel?
A. Most states allow a notary to charge whatever the client will pay for travel, but a handful of states have travel fee restrictions such as New Hampshire, Arizona, and a few other states. Please visit
http://www.123notary.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4231

Q. How much can a notary charge for a copy of a journal entry?
A. In California, 30 cents per journal entry. However please visit the state notary division website of the state in question for a state specific answers. This type of notary act does not have a fixed fee in most states by the way! Californians are lucky that they get to capitalize on this rare opportunity!

Q. How much can I charge to notarize for an inmate? How much to charge for notary services in Jail?
A. The actual fee for the notarizations is whatever your state maximum fees are. However, travel fees and waiting time fees are whatever you and your client agree on unless you are in a state that has travel fee restrictions.

Q. How much should a notary charge for swearing in a witness or a signer?
A. Most states have a set fee for administering an Oath… you can charge that fee.

Q. What is the maximum fee a notary can charge for an Acknowledgment in 2014 or 2015?
A. Please consult our find a notary page and then look up your state

Q. What is the maximum fee a notary can charge for a Jurat in 2013, 2014 or 2015?
A. Please consult our find a notary page and then look up your state

Q. What is the maximum charge for a notary in my state?
A. The fee depends on the notary act, so please look your state up on our find a notary page on 123notary.

Note to readers
This blog entry was written in 2011, but modified in 2013 & 2014. Prices in 2015 & 2016 should be the same as in 2014 in most states. Find a great notary on 123notary!

Tweets
(1) How much can a notary charge for Travel, Copies of journal entries, Witness signatures & more!
(2) How much can a notary charge for an Acknowledgment, Jurat, or notarizing an inmate?

You might also like:

Q & A about various notary fees in 2013
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4291

Identification requirements for being notarized
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4299

Read blogs about California Notary issues!
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=california-notary-public

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January 10, 2011

6 FREE things 123notary does for its clients

123notary does all types of free things for its clients. Why? We want our clients to
do well so that they stick with us year after year. Here are some things we do:

(1) Free Listings
We offer free listings to many new notaries. We typically do not offer free listings for more than a year unless you are in a very remote area or have 123notary certification

(2) Free Help with Notes
We offer free help with your notes section. You can email us and we will help you add unique content to your notes section as well as organize your existing contents.

(3) Free Strategical Help
We offer strategical help that can mean the difference between making it and breaking it in the notary profession.

(4) Free Educational Materials for Signing Agents
We offer free educational materials in our blog. We do not publish those every day, but when we do, they are very useful.

(5) Free Guidance for Getting Reviews
We offer guidance to help you get reviews. Sometimes asking for reviews is not enough. You need to know who to ask, how to ask, and how to follow up.

(6) Free Signing Agent Tips
Carmen has made it a tradition to help notaries out with their loan signing questions. What other agency does that for free — or does that at all?

What other notary agency does all this for free if at all?

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January 1, 2011

A 2nd Date With jeremy

A 2nd date with Jeremy

Sealia and Jeremy hit it off, so much on their first date, it was time for a sequel. In fact, they had gotten to know each other so well, that if they were notarizing each other, they would say “Personally known” instad of using satisfactory evidence to identify the signer.

Sealia: “We know each other so well, we can complete each other’s Jurat verbiage”
Jeremy: “I know!”

So, this dynamic duo decides to see the movie, “A Case of Mistaken Identity”. It is a movie about someone who was notarized using a stolen ID card. The police were informed, and then arrested the wrong person. In any case, Jeremy asked
what type of rating the movie had, such as “G”, “PG”, “R”, 2 thumbs up, etc. Sealia replied that the movie got four stars on Notary Rotary.

The couple drove to the theater and parked. Jeremy wanted to use a credit card to purchase tickets.
The ticket lady said, “May I see some ID please?”
Jeremy misheard her and thought she asked the name of the movie he wanted to see.
Jeremy said, “A case of mistaken identity”
Ticket Lady, “No, there’s nothing wrong with your identity, the picture on this ID looks just like you, and your eyes really are blue — hold on, let me take a closer look — yup…”
Jeremy: “No, not the ID, the movie”
Ticket Lady, “Oh, so you mistook the identity of the movie!”
Jeremy: “No, I mistook what you said when you asked for my ID”
Ticket Lady, “Never mind, your credit card and ID are fine… what movie would you like to see?”
Jeremy: “Two tickets for A case of mistaken identity”
Ticket Lady, “Here you go! Enjoy the show!”

Then, the couple go to the consession stand. They see all of the popcorn and other treats, and ask if they have any good consessions. The attendant said, “We actually have notary consessions — we have a voucher that states that if the notary makes a mistake, that the return trip to correct the mistake is free as a consession.” Then, Jeremy asks, “Does that consession voucher come with a complimentary bucket of popcorn?” Then, the attendent responsded, “Yeah, for another $6.25, I’ll make that consession.”

Then, our conceded (but, not conceited) couple proceeded to get seated. Then, the lights were dimmed, and the movie began.
Jeremy: “Oh no, what if the ticket lady gave me back the WRONG ID? I better check my wallet!”
Sealia: “You are paranoid, I saw that she gave you back the correct ID, and your Credit Card!”
Jeremy: “Next time, I’m paying for the movie using paypal up front, like Ken gets paid for his signings — It’s much easier.”

Then the movie starts. They get to the point of the movie where the very best scene happens — well, the best scene according to Jeremy. The scene where they show the sworn Oath. Then a big fat guy tries to walk across the row in front of them to his seat. Jeremy is livid that fatso would prevent him from seeing the Oath. So, Jeremy gets out of his seat, and sticks his head to the left of Fat Albert, and then when Albert moves to the left, Jeremy stuck his head to the right.

Movie seer: “Hey, do you mind?”
Jeremy: “He’s blocking my favorite scene!”
Movie seer: “Well, I want to see the Oath too, buddy”
Jeremy: “You want an Oath? I’ll give you an Oath… I SWEAR I will if you don’t shut up!”

They finished the movie. The police arrested the wrong guy, but after they fingerprinted him, they realized that the real criminal was still on the

loose. So, they let the falsely arrested guy go. Then, our duo walks down past Mann’s Chinese theater in Hollywood and see handprints and signatures. But, there are no Acknowledgments for the signatures! If we see some wet cement, we need to put a mold for an Acknowledgment form in the cement! We’ll put it with an imprint of my embosser next to Roy Rogers signature, that will trigger a reaction!

Next it was time for a hike in Griffith Park. We went to hike to the Hollywood sign.
Sealia: “This would be a great place to notarize — you sign next to the Hollywood sign!”
Jeremy: “Why not notarize the Hollywood sign itself?”
Sealia: “Wow, you think big. You can do that?”
Jeremy: “No”

ring-ring
Jeremy: “123notary, this is Jeremy”
Caller: “Yeah, you have my named spelled wrong on my listing!”
Jeremy: “You are interrupting my date to tell me this? Couldn’t you just send me an email? I’m not next to a computer right now”
Caller: “Never mind, I’ll call Carmen”
Jeremy: “Carmen cannot solve that problem either. Just send me an email”
Caller: “In that case I’ll call Sally”
Jeremy: “This conversation is over!”

Meanwhile, the NNA hiking group was walking up the hill, getting a guided tour of the Hollywood sign area. They gave a speech where they named the Notary of the Year. They called Jeremy to stand in front of the sign and said, “We appoint you, Brad Mulligan as Notary of the Year!”

Jeremy said, “I”m sorry, but I am not Brad. I think we have a case of mistaken identity!”

Tweets:
(1) Sealia & Jeremy got to know each other so well, that if they were notarizing each other, they would say “Personally Known.”
(2) (at the movies during the Oath scene) You want an Oath? I’ll give you an Oath. I swear I will if you don’t shut up!
(3) “We know each other so well, we can complete each other’s Jurat verbiage”

You might also like:

My date with Jeremy
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4473

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

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