Your notarial certificates should not be pre-filled, signed, or dated before the appointment. The certificate should only be completed after you've properly identified the signer, witnessed the signing (when required), and performed the notarization. Pre-completing certificates can lead to mistakes if the appointment is rescheduled, canceled, or if something changes at the table. A few extra minutes during the signing is always better than having to correct a notarization later.

You have a Buyer Package scheduled for 3:30 PM. No delays were reported. The last FedEx pickup in your area is 7:30 PM. Do you believe that's enough time to complete the signing, scan the documents, and make the drop-off on time? Let's see where everyone stands on this one.

A few days ago, I posted this on social media: "I built a notary fortune because I didn't know my worth." My message was simple: I built my business by saying yes to every opportunity. I worked hard, served clients well, gained experience, and built relationships. Instead of focusing on what I thought I deserved to earn, I focused on creating value. Over time, that commitment helped me build a strong reputation and a successful, profitable business. This has nothing to do with signing services offering low fees. If you know me, you know I strongly oppose companies taking advantage of notaries. That's not the point of this post. The reason I'm sharing this is because we recently assigned a signing to a notary we've worked with for years. This is someone we've consistently hired, trusted with all types of transactions, and helped keep busy in his area. The fee offered was $100. After reviewing the documents, the notary sent us the following message: "OK. The signer is available and this seem to be a very large package of 189 pages. Please add an extra $25 or find another Notary." There's another important detail. Over the years, we have paid this same notary $100 for seller packages that typically require printing only 20 to 30 pages. In other words, there were many transactions where the printing requirement was minimal, yet the fee remained exactly the same. That's why it's important to look at the full picture. Business relationships should not be evaluated one transaction at a time. Sometimes you make more on one assignment, sometimes you make less. The goal is to evaluate the relationship as a whole and understand the long-term value it provides. We explained that we could not adjust the fee. At that point, the notary told us to find someone else for the assignment. And that's exactly what we did. Not only did we find another notary, but we also made the decision that we will no longer do business with this notary moving forward. Not because he asked for more money.

There were 2 borrowers on the file Most documents required both signatures But the notary noticed that the Owner/Seller Affidavit only had: •⁠ ⁠One borrower’s name •⁠ ⁠One signature line Instead of ignoring it, the notary messaged us before the signing. Since it was so early in the morning, title wasn’t available yet, so we made a judgment call: 👉 Print the document twice 👉 Execute one as-is 👉 Add a signature line on the second copy for the other borrower Later, when title responded, the signing was already completed… And they were VERY happy the notary caught it and went the extra mile! This is the kind of attention to detail that makes title companies trust notaries more and more. Not just signing documents blindly, but actually paying attention 👏

Some people became notaries to make extra income Others wanted freedom, flexibility, or a fresh start And for some… it completely changed their life. So now we’re curious: 👉 What made YOU decide to become a notary? Was there a specific moment, person, or goal that pushed you into this industry?