Posted by CJ on 3/6/06 12:43pm
Msg #102454

Land America droppping Fees

Hi Everyone.

I have been working for Land America One Stop for a while. I am happy with them. They have a Citibank HELOC, which is about 30 pages, and easy to sign. They pay $50. Then they said they would only email the docs from now on, and pay me $75. All the papers are letter size, and they send them the day before, including the Fed Ex air bill. Now all of a sudden they want to pay $50 for email docs and the signing. On the one hand they argue that their jobs are easy, and they are (unless the borrower still insists on reading them), but I am never paid more in general if a job turns difficult, if it has a lot of extra pages, or what. I am upset about this. I do not want to cut them off, but I do not think it is right that they arbitrarily want all of their notaries to do email jobs for $50. Plus, you know they are charging the borrower more for the job anyway. If you are working for Land America, please stick to your guns and don't budge on the price. I am also going to write to them, and I hope you will too if you work for them. They are paying for more than having us sit their and watch people sign. They are paying for our professionalism to see that the job is done and returned on time, and handle any crazy problem that arises. I did a Land America job where the borrower said he was running late, but he would be there in 15 minutes. He got there in 1 1/2 hours, then he insisted I show him my ID, etc., (who else would be hanging around his house at 9:30 at night in a suit), and he read all the docs, which really stretched it out. I don't get paid more for that, so why shoud I get paid less when things go smoothly?

Reply by Nd_WA on 3/6/06 1:01pm
Msg #102466

And Citibank wants 3 additional copies of the mortgage signed. If I can get $125 for those 38 pages Heloc then everyone can too.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 3/6/06 1:05pm
Msg #102468

Turned one down Thursday because of the fees but obviously there are those out there who will take anything!

Reply by Catrina Thompson on 3/6/06 1:38pm
Msg #102478

I turned them down too because the fees were waay too low. Maybe they'll get the picture if
everyone starts demanding what we deserve.

Reply by JudyinLa on 3/6/06 2:06pm
Msg #102500

What a wealthy group. If I don't print, I don't turn it down. Keeps me from dropping frozen fries into the grease.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 3/6/06 2:21pm
Msg #102505

Not for long! If you keep taking any fee you can get

you will eventually not be able to keep going in this or any other business.

Reply by Beth/MD on 3/6/06 2:28pm
Msg #102509

They continually pester me to take their low pay. It's to the point that now I just up my fee every time the call. I think I am due to quote $400 for o/n Heloc the next time they call.

Reply by Margaret_FL on 3/6/06 2:28pm
Msg #102508

Stand your ground. it works!!!. I had a company offering $55 to do a commercial inspection. They could not get anyone to do them for this price. We all network on a chatboard similar to Notary Rotary. Now the lenders are requiring the a HUD REAC certified inspector do all their inspections. These inspections take 2-4 hours. I was offered $55 and refused, I was then called back and offered $125 and I refused.
I got a call today and was offered $250. The inspection is due 3/12/2006. They are given a 90 day window to do get these inspections done in and now it is due next week. The good thing is I can pick and choose my inspection work. Unlike there being 500 notaries within a 20 mile radius of me, there are only 10 Certified REAC inspectors in Florida and only 400 in all of US territories. They still try to low ball you but
you have to stand your ground.

Reply by LawrenceOK on 3/6/06 2:35pm
Msg #102515

I had an insurance company offer me $25.00 dollars for a commercial inspection in OKC, I told them they were out of their ever loving minds. The insured was a very large furniture warehouse with sales and showroom. I wont even do a residential for less then $75

Reply by Margaret_FL on 3/6/06 2:43pm
Msg #102530

The decision I made to get HUD REAC certified was the best thing I have ever done. A lot of mortgage lenders are starting to use HUD protocol for their inspection protocol. Now Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
are requiring the same. Between title companies, signing companies and inspection calls, my phone rang off the hook. Let me see, $50 signing, $250 commericial inspection. That a no brainer. This inspection is 7 miles from me and I just faxed over the management interview which she will fill out and fax back to me.
Then I will call her back and go over the form she filled out before the inspection. This inspection should only take 2 hours, I am familar with the property. The inspection is for next Friday. What I love about this work is, NO LAST MINUTE ANYTHING.

Reply by Anonymous on 3/6/06 3:14pm
Msg #102542

Beware, alot of times companies will ask you to do a closing with an overnight pkg but you won't get the pkg overnight. When you try to up your fee for email docs, they say you agreed to close it for $50.

Reply by Regal1 on 3/6/06 4:12pm
Msg #102562

If you agreed to a overnight fee, that doesn't apply towards Edoc's. Unless you don't have a CLUE!!

Reply by CaliNotary on 3/6/06 6:14pm
Msg #102603

No, it just delays you from dropping frozen fries into the grease.

It's clear that you don't have an ounce of business sense, it's just as well that you keep busy doing the crap jobs while the rest of us make some real money for our efforts.

Reply by BrendaTx on 3/7/06 12:27am
Msg #102717

Re: Land America droppping Fees - Judy

Judy - You are letting me down. I could appreciate your witch act because you were not pretending to be a friendly, goody two shoes with a hidden agenda. Your agenda was pretty clear. What's this, Judy. You are acting like the lemming? I don't think so. Like you let others dictate to you what you will take on a signing? Stop it, please.

You are in La. for Pete's sake...different world altogether. You are yanking our chains. Also, you are not so limited that you can only get a min. wage job if you don't take low, low fees. Be real, Judy. Your post is bogus. You don't take signings like this.

Yeah, be as mean as you want to, but don't let me down and start making up a little hidden agenda. There are enough of those types here already.

Reply by Lee/AR on 3/6/06 4:30pm
Msg #102570

Not picking on you, but...

When are we going to understand that 'they' do not decide what to pay--'we' charge what is right for us; makes business sense; is PROFITABLE. We are Independent Contractors. We are not employees. "They" will continue to pay less & less as long as 'we' continue to act like employees. This is YOUR business; treat it as such! Rant over.

Reply by careful on 3/6/06 6:25pm
Msg #102607

Stand your ground. Professionalism should have a price.

Reply by Pat Reynolds on 3/7/06 5:24pm
Msg #103002

I just received a call from Land America, and they told me they wanted $50 for e docs for a job on Saturday. We both turned them down. If more notaries would turn them down perhaps Citibank would rethink their fees.