Posted by KODI/CA on 5/10/08 10:04pm
Msg #247041

thread 211963

I am a "newbie". I am 70, a retired consultant in the outomotive industry, a currently certified California Registered Tax Preparer, a Notary, a Certified Signing Agent, and recently a Certtified Pro 8 Quickbooks trainer.

Why did I go into this business. Obviously not for the money. To give me options when one of my other ventures was not productive.

I did not go into this industry to "take business away" from any other individual.

If you are not competitive, your problem.

My fees will never be below the industries. Yes, I monitor all of the web sites in my area.

The "venom" displayed in thread 211963 really does not reflect what I have been monitoring the last three months, however, it does seem to reflect that "newbies" need to go away.

YOU ALL WERE NEWBIES ONCE IN YOUR LIFE TIME; Yes, I am shouting at you. Lighten up.

You want to make this industry respected then do not "prostitute your self rate wise".

Reply by Nomad/OR on 5/11/08 12:09am
Msg #247044

This board has calmed down quite a bit since then.

I was also appalled at what I was reading before I joined up, then the civilized mood started to prevail so I went premium and got more signings from it.

You have to realize that people were/are under a lot of stress as this has been the sole source of income for quite a while. The bust hits and people are forced to find other ways to produce income. Starting over again at any age is probably one of the most stressful things to endure. Especially if you have a family relying on your income.

When you are struggling to get your piece of pie, it can be hard to acknowledge somebody who comes in and says "Hey, can I have some of that?"

Reply by desktopfull on 5/11/08 3:30am
Msg #247048

I fail to understand why you refer to truthfull responses as "venomous." That thread was in Sept. 07, guess what? Business is worse now and it isn't going to get any better with the lender's requiring higher credit scores and the equity to value dropping because many properties were over appreciated anyway. You want to start in this business, then have a plan and do the research to get your own clients and market yourself instead of asking for handouts. Furthermore, quit raking those of us over the coals for not conceding to your requests and telling it like it is in the real world of a NSA. I started in this business in 2000 and I didn't go on any forums (they didn't even exist) and ask others to provide me with a plan to get into business. On this forum we give each other help on figuring out how to collect from deadbeat companies, warn about companies that have quit paying or are going out of business, discuss changes in the notary laws and how they affect us, where to get good deals on supplies, equipment and the like. We don't ask how to get our NSA business up and running. This is a professional board and a newbie that doesn't have a clue how to do the job or setup, market and run a business isn't a professional. They are a want-a-be that generally got suckered in by xyz corp with the promise of making big bucks without putting forth any effort. Then instead of doing their own research and developing a business plan, they come online here and state: "I just got my notary, tell me who to contact so I can get some closings?" I am competitive and I will not give any newbie my client list to contact. I recommend other experienced NSA's all the time to my clients when I don't cover an area or have a conflicting schedule. First and foremost, the best way to lose a good client is by sending someone to them that doesn't know anything to let them potentially mess up a closing. They need to either figure it out and get a plan or move on to something else. JMO

Reply by JanetK_CA on 5/11/08 3:52am
Msg #247049

Well said. We were also constantly being bombarded (sometimes twice a day) with very, very basic questions from someone fresh out of a notary class. Usually, the question was something along the lines of "How do I get started?". And halfway down the page was another thread from someone asking the same question that they didn't even bother to read. The industry was already in a difficult period as desktopfull so aptly explained. While we were seeing our businesses decline because of less volume and losing clients because they refused to pay our fees anymore, new folks were looking for a free ride. That got old real fast.

Other newbies who have been willing to make the effort to read what is available here, have tried to figure things out for themselves first, but have then come with a reasonable question (not about how to complete an acknowledgement!), have been treated very well and given an amazing amount of support. It's all about attitude (although, you'll never hear me say that everyone on this board has always displayed a good one... )

As I've said here many times in various ways, if you grow a two-inch thick skin and look for the good advice, regardless of whether or not it's sugar coated, you can learn a great deal. There are many here who will tell it like it is and sometimes the hardest advice to take is what we most need to hear!

Reply by Pat/IL on 5/12/08 12:30am
Msg #247120

I thought that thread was pretty mild. Nothing more than a bunch of honest opinions. You ask what you ask, you get what you get in replies.

I wonder how Allison is doing.