Posted by LawrenceOK on 2/15/07 10:20am
Msg #175773

How many of you have been asked this?

1. How much experience do you have?
2. We don't pay travel fees but we pay $100 flat fees.

Reply by Sharon Taylor on 2/15/07 10:33am
Msg #175776

How much experience, yes; flat fee for all closings, no

Once in a while a new scheduler might ask about my experience level when they call to offer an assignment.
As far as being offered a flat fee of $100 for all assignments, that has not happened. I could not possibly accept such an arrangement since my closings take place in 10 different counties in small towns and villages or rural areas, with a huge disparity in both mileage and driving time and difficulty. For example, a 30 mile drive to one address in a zip code might be 30 miles and take 45 driving time, a closing to the same zip code but in a different area of the zip code may be 30 miles and take 1 hour and 30 minutes driving time.
Flat fee for all assignments might work in big cities where the driving time and difficulty would be about the same for those assignments, but definitely not here in the back country.

Reply by ck_KY on 2/15/07 10:36am
Msg #175777

I agree with Sharon..

a flat fee would never work in rural areas like my part of Kentucky. I've never really had a problem getting my fee out of companies due to my rural area and lack of competition.

Reply by Lee/AR on 2/15/07 10:48am
Msg #175779

I also agree with Sharon and

wish they really would accept the fact that one size does not fit all. Not across the country; not in any given state; not even in my own county.

Reply by LawrenceOK on 2/15/07 12:03pm
Msg #175798

I am also rural Sharon

I seem to be getting a lot of calls lately from SS's that just want to pay a flat fee. But being rural, I can drive 30 miles 1-way and never leave my home county and thats taking the short-cuts. A $100 dollar flat fee just don't cut it.

Reply by PAW on 2/15/07 10:44am
Msg #175778

I've been asked about experience quite often, especially with RM's and purchases.

I had one client that I did a lot for a couple of years ago, flat fee no matter where in my coverage zone. Worked out okay as the ones close to home compensated for the ones clear across the county.

Reply by Blueink_CA on 2/15/07 10:55am
Msg #175783

I was questioned on my experience twice. Both times from conscientious LO's.

As for flat fees, the companies I work for know my fee and coverage area. If it's outside that area, the fee increases. I did some calculating and discovered I averaged $4.55 per mile. It would be interesting to see how this compared with other NSA's.

Reply by cara on 2/15/07 11:47am
Msg #175793

While it has never been couched as a "flat fee,” I have had a couple of calls this month from one company that refused to pay any mileage adjustment for out of town assignments. I turned the assignments down. Either they found someone closer or they found someone willing to agree to a "flat fee". Until things pick up, there may be a lot of desperate notaries out there willing to work for less or newbies who haven’t yet figured out how to price a job so they can make a profit.

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 2/15/07 11:51am
Msg #175795

I think it would depend on your geographical area that you cover. In my area, there is no way that I would agree to a flat fee any larger than my basic area that I have broken down by zip code on my webpage. When the companies call, they usually have no idea about your geographical area and the distances involved. So, if you feel you want to try the flat fee, just give them a geographical area you will cover for that, whether it is grids on a map or zip code. Chances are, you can work it out about the same.


I work for a company occasionally that I agreed to a flat fee for, so I gave them my "flat fee" coverage area. The first time they wanted me to go outside that area, I told them that would be an extra fee. They made the decision to pay it, so our relationship is the same as with other companies ....

Reply by Tracey Foughty-Deavers on 2/15/07 12:06pm
Msg #175799

I work with several SS companies that want to use the flat fee approach. For those companies, I have agreed upon a flat fee for certain areas. Anything outside the area gets a new fee quote. Sometimes I make money, sometimes I lose money. Unfortunately in my area just basing it on mileage won't cover the situation. It's all based on traffic. If I was allowed to charge an hourly rate, it would be best. But until the industry moves to that standard, I use a flat fee per general area as an approximation.

Reply by LawrenceOK on 2/15/07 12:17pm
Msg #175804

What you and Glen are talking about is

an All Inclusive Fee. The offer I got was "We only pay $100 regardless of mileage or loan type" and that included e-docs and fax backs. I guess I should have been more clear in my first post. Sorry

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 2/15/07 12:28pm
Msg #175810

Re: What you and Glen are talking about is

OK, well then make them a counter offer. I doubt that they will get too many takers and the ones that do will be inexperienced and may cause enough damage to where the company will need to re-think their offer ....

Reply by ewing2surf on 2/15/07 12:58pm
Msg #175830

I carried paper for Progressive Closing for years at a flat $125 per loan. Assuming your are referring to a Loan Signing. Flat fees are what we work for because you cannot count signatures and invoice a signature fee in addition to.

Reply by Terri_CA on 2/15/07 3:17pm
Msg #175865

However, Joe, one should consider where they will travel (how far, how long to get there) when accepting fees. Yes, you're correct that we accept flat fees, but I believe the company offering this flat fee, would like the NSA to travel hither and yon for the flat fee.

I know I wouldn't as, like Sharon said, where I live. I can go 5 minutes and be in my same zip code, or drive 35+ miles west and still be in the same zip code, so I have to always ask what the house number is (I can tell how far out it is from the house number most times.)

Terri