Hi Not Rot Forum,
Lately I have been very conscious of how I behave while in people’s homes. I have picked up a few things I wanted to share and see if you would like to share some that you have picked up over time. Here they are in no particular order of importance to our signers.
*I introduce myself, shake hands with the people who open the door, and show my ID. I feel like it puts them at ease. Some men have declined to shake my hand due to their religious beliefs but their wife usually shakes my hand.
*Always look beside the front door to see if they have a stack of shoes and a bench to sit on. I have seen this primarily in Asian and Indian households. I see how uncomfortable they look until I offer to remove my shoes.
*If I don't see IDs on the table we are walking toward, I ask, "May I see your IDs?", before their bottoms hit the seats so they don't have to spring up and then feel like they forgot something important.
*When they offer you a drink or snack, politely tell them that you appreciate the offer but have to decline to keep the documents clean. (this works well to discourage them from bringing items to the table as well as take the hospitality pressure off)
*When notarizing documents on their table, make sure you have more than 10 pages under the documents so that you can avoid marking the soft wood on some signers’ tabletops with the pressure of your pen.
*I mark my pens clearly with my initials (SP) using a label maker label wrapped around the barrels and all my pens match. I have found by doing this, most signers see the label and put the pen back down on the table instead of in their pocket. I will ask for my pen back if necessary but truly 9.5 out of 10 times this avoids that awkward situation.
*I don’t park in the driveway and I don’t block their mailbox unless it is an evening signing. You never know who may need to come and go during your visit and your vehicle may spring a leak anytime.
I am sure that I could come up with a few more that might be best practices but these are the ones I practice daily.
What else do you guys do to make the visit run smoothly while entering and conducting business in someone's home?
Thanks
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