The ever helpful Jeremy Belmont of 123 recently posted "10 Ways Female Notaries Can Protect Themselves" while on a signing. The tips vary among planning an escape route, texting hubby where you are, to carrying a taser, mace, a distress button, and get ready, girls, a GUN. It's come to this?
Now in my neck of the woods open carry is as common as bears and snow. Nobody would bat an eye. I tease my borrowers who are packing or whose walls are lined with every weapon imaginable that the signing is not going to be so bad that a gun will be necessary.
But my No. 1 tip is simply don't go to a single man's house. Some of you, depending on your demographic, might find that shocking, inappropriate and completely out of the question; but I just had a notary pal in a major Midwest city tell me that her single signer said he was really surprised when told that a woman notary would be coming to his house. (Easy for the LO to say.) He showed common sense and said they would meet at a coffee shop today.
Many of my signers are single ex-military, living off the grid, pot smoking/meth-making, with guns and dangerous dogs galore surrounded by electric gates and barbed wire. No way am I going to their house. Don't even ask. During the confo call, I immediately reel off any number of public places close to their house where we can meet. But if he starts whining that he wants me to come to his house, I say no. Last Friday, a VA loan guy grumbled that if he had to meet me in public he needed time to "clean up" and put his dogs out. So he expected me to go mano a mano with a bunch of dogs at his house that he hadn't cleaned since Lincoln was president while he sat around in week-old underwear? Been there, done that. No thanks. Instead of juggling which of JB's Top 10 tips will suit you best, just say no. Meet in public. Problem solved.
One would think that even the dumbest guy would see the wisdom in this. |
