In my previous article, “How I Decided To Become A Notary Signing Agent,” I talked about how I was inspired to try Notary work while looking for a change of career. But when I decided to become a Notary Signing Agent, it was completely new business for me. I needed to familiarize myself with the ins and outs of notarizing signatures on loan documents.
I decided the first step in my new career would be to gain some experience working through signing agencies. The pay is less than working directly with title and escrow companies, but I decided it would be better way for a rookie like myself to get those first assignments and learn the basics of a loan document signing before I tried looking for work with local businesses in person.
I signed up with several different free services, with varying degrees of success. While I also received emails from websites offering me signings in exchange for me paying them an upfront fee, I decided a website requiring fees wasn’t the way I wanted to go when marketing myself. Some sites charged large fees if you filed a payment dispute or required me to agree not to file a complaint if I had a credit card issue with the site. I didn’t feel comfortable with that.
Here are some of the agencies and websites I contacted, and my experiences with them so far:
Snapdocs has been the most successful source of signings for me to date. I’ve completed more than 20 signings after signing up with them, two refinances and 10 HELOCS. The pay is low (average $50 for a HELOC, $75 for a refinance), but the experience has been incredibly valuable.
It took a while to land my first assignment. I responded quickly to texts but was often passed over at first. But I persisted and finally landed a couple of signings. Since then, I’ve become familiar with one agency in particular and I’ve received assignments pretty regularly from them via Snapdocs.
Timios is close to where I live and was recommended by a website I visited, so I went in person to their office to introduce myself and see if they had any opportunities available. I've had one assignment from them so far.
Bancserv I was pretty excited about. I had seen their booth at the NNA Conference in Las Vegas and they seemed like a good organization to work with. Keep in mind that they only accept applications from new Notaries during the first few days of each month. I passed and was approved and am looking forward to receiving an assignment through them.
I’ve had a few other queries and offers from other organizations. A couple of emails ended up in my spam folder, which I now check regularly so I do not miss any opportunities.
I’m pretty pleased with my progress to date and have now begun reaching out to other local companies to take it to the next level.
James Gilden became a Notary Signing Agent in July 2018. He is a writer and publishing professional who has written for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and others. He has also worked for SAGE Publishing and The American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is working on a book about World War II centered on the story of his great uncle, a decorated B-17 bomber pilot who was shot down over Nazi occupied France and became a POW.
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Lessons from my first loan signing
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