Posted by Tragis Notary Services on 5/8/10 11:39am
Msg #335553

Looking for a mentor central PA area

I recently became a notary in pa. I am certified through the NNA and very eager to learn this business. I am looking for an experienced signing agent to help me along the way or even take me along to a signing or two. And help will be greatly appreciated. Please call me 717-606-8115
Thanks in advance,
Jason Tragis

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 5/8/10 11:48am
Msg #335555

Jason
Your best avenue is to read this message board thoroughly. I doubt anyone in your area would really want to train what could be their competition. It's like opening a hamburger joint next to a McDonalds and wanting McDonalds to train you how to run your business.
As the NNA certified you, they should have made sure you were properly trained before certifying you as a competent signing agent.
PA has an excellent notary association which could help with your notary questions

Reply by CopperheadVA on 5/8/10 11:51am
Msg #335557

Sylvia, I was typing as you posted! We are reading each other's minds!

Reply by Tragis Notary Services on 5/8/10 12:22pm
Msg #335558

Thanks for the replies, I guess I didn't really look at it as you guys did. For that I appologize for the post. The NNA did train me correctly and I feel like I will do well with no issues. I guess i was looking for more of a confidence builder of having one or two under my belt before being thrown to the wolves.

Reply by jba/fl on 5/8/10 12:45pm
Msg #335560

If you can fill out your notary certificate correctly (really - there are those who don't know how, believe it or not), if you know your state's laws (forget out mine in FL or CA or any other), feel comfortable with your docs and giving an overview of them, it is like jumping into the deep end of the pool: Hold your breath, jump. You will somehow remember to keep holding your breath until your surface, and you will find yourself coming up to the top for air. The first time is the hardest, but you just take your time.

In the meantime, use the orange search button and go th the thread #33325 and begin reading. You will gain so much there that the NNA will look like they gave you no information at all, which some of what you got from them was incorrect.

Then you will have to market your services. That thread will give you much, but you will have to apply yourself.

Good luck. You are not coming into this business at the right time....long time people in this business are getting out. There are many discussions about this as well. Do your homework - anything you can think of has been talked about here - the orange search button, along with Google, is your friend.

Reply by jba/fl on 5/8/10 12:47pm
Msg #335561

correction: (forget out mine in FL or CA or any other), should be: forget about mine etc.

Reply by Ilene C. Seidel on 5/8/10 4:16pm
Msg #335566

Most of us learned by reading and re-reading the loan packages, no one taught us. They are in laymans terms. Then practice out loud how you will present each document to homeowner.
It's the best way.

Reply by Ilene C. Seidel on 5/8/10 4:19pm
Msg #335567

In the beginning I use to put post it notes highlighting each doc til I knew the contents of each.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 5/8/10 11:50am
Msg #335556

Jason, you probably will not find anyone who will do that for you. You are their competition. It's like Burger King saying to McDonald's, "Hi, I am opening up a restaurant in your same area and I would like you to teach me the hamburger business."

Reply by BrendaTx on 5/8/10 2:45pm
Msg #335564

I want a hamburger!

Son is on his way in from Houston for Mother's Day...he said to pick a place for dinner.

I was just reviewing the list of restaurants...now, after two fast food analogies, a hamburger is sounding MIGHTY good. I haven't eaten a hamburger since January 2009...yes, it has been that long and that is why it is THAT memorable.

Reply by Notarysigner on 5/8/10 3:53pm
Msg #335565

Re: I want a hamburger!

You said it Brenda......what a lucky son, tell him I told you so...best of days to you tomorrow and Happy Mother's day personally from ME!

Reply by BrendaTx on 5/8/10 4:55pm
Msg #335569

Thank you, James. (Going a little more OT here)

I appreciate your thoughts...I'm very fortunate that he felt inclined to make a visit...he and my big black lab granddog, Ty...who is as big as a Shetland Pony and loves everyone and everything.

Son told me that I am in such luck...NASCAR is on tonight...we can watch together!! (Oh, goody, goody gum drops. Not a NASCAR fan. But, will love just having my boy here tonight.)

I know...this will be a perfect opportunity to study my notary rules! (There, that made it not so OT.)

Happy Mother's Day Eve everyone!

Reply by GOLDGIRL/CA on 5/8/10 6:12pm
Msg #335571

Re: Thank you, Brenda!

and Happy Mother's Day to you, too! Sounds like a wonderful time with your son and doggie. My son's in Iraq (boo!) right now, but he calls often. I may hear from him tomorrow tho I told him not to worry about it since I know everybody at the base will be lining up to use the satellite phone to call their moms. (Talk about going more OT!). P.S. As far as NASCAR goes, I'd watch it, too, if my son wanted to - but I think he feels about it like I do - a waste of perfectly good gas. OOOOOh, I'm probably going to hear about this!

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 5/8/10 6:39pm
Msg #335575

Re: Thank you, Brenda!

Goldgirl

When you talk to your son please tell him 'THANK YOU"
His service is very much appreciated.

Reply by BrendaTx on 5/8/10 7:37pm
Msg #335578

Goldgirl - I echo Sylvia...

Please tell your son that I am grateful for his service to our country.

And, thanks for your comments!

(I agree...waste of gas and lots of noise pollution...not to mention, the NASCAR fan base has some interesting characters to say the least. Son's friend works in corporate for a major auto parts distributor. He gets tickets to NASCAR and they have enjoyed using corporate pit passes. Since this "new world" opened up to this crew of gentlenerds--and I mean that fondly--they participate as fans now...living vicariously, I suppose. Go figger!)

Reply by MikeC/NY on 5/8/10 10:25pm
Msg #335590

Re: Thank you, James. (Going a little more OT here)

"Son told me that I am in such luck...NASCAR is on tonight...we can watch together!!"

When I visited my brother in the Dallas area a couple of years ago, he drove me around to see the sights... There was a NASCAR stadium he pointed out, and it looked a lot bigger than the football stadiums we have here. Then he showed me the local high school football stadium, and I realized I was in another world... You folks sure do take your sports seriously....

Happy Mother's Day to you, and I hope you enjoyed watching the cars go round and round with your son...

Reply by Maureen_nh on 5/9/10 10:59pm
Msg #335656

Re: Thank you, James. (Going a little more OT here)

Brenda, Why is it we don't buy burgers for ourselves--diet? Have to break down once in a while and get some good ground chuck, American cheese and bread and butter pickles, good rolls a must.
Labs, jumpers, and almost everyones house I go to they lock them up in cages, even though I tell them that once they sniff me and I get sat down they will be fine. Never have had a problem with dogs, cats etc etc once I am accepted. Well, maybe nosy cats on the table.

Reply by Robert/FL on 5/9/10 6:19am
Msg #335591

Well, since you were trained by the NNA....

Learn your notary laws first. Most will tell you that the signing agent business is very slow right now. You would do well to spend your first year doing only general notary work, learning how to complete your certificates 100% accurately. This will require you to study your state-authorized handbook and disregard a lot of what NNA taught you. Since you are in PA you might also consider joining the Pennsylvania Association of Notaries.

But, again, IMO you should become the expert notary *first*, and then, just maybe, *if* business starts to pick up, then consider becoming a signing agent. I am not a signing agent but I was doing some mobile notary work, and even that has come to a stop because the signing agents are now taking whatever general notary work assignments they can get.

Reply by MW/VA on 5/9/10 8:45am
Msg #335594

Re: Well, since you were trained by the NNA....

While this may be some prudent advice, people don't take the NNA course to do general notary work. They take that training to become NSA's. Unfortunately, we feel that the NNA also misleads people about the earning potential, especially in this market.
It is important to know your state's notary laws backwards & forwards. Beyond that you will need to be familiar with loan docs. Any training will not cover all the variables you run in to in the field.
Again, start with message 33325, follow this forum to see what kinds of issues the industry is dealing with, etc.
I mentored & trained another notary--silly me--and would never do that again.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 5/9/10 8:59am
Msg #335596

Going to disagree with this statement

" I am not a signing agent but I was doing some mobile notary work, and even that has come to a stop because the signing agents are now taking whatever general notary work assignments they can get."

Other NOTARIES, your competition, are taking the general notary assignments, Robert - not just Signing Agents....they're all notaries first - maybe the bulk of their work was loan documents but they WERE notaries first.

Reply by MW/VA on 5/9/10 11:17am
Msg #335602

Thanks, Linda. It seems that Robert won't let go of these

misconceptions about NSA's. We are all notaries, first & foremost. There are many areas, including NSA, that we work in. It's no different than Robert doing weddings. We know of many notaries in FL that perform weddings as a part of their business structure. No matter how you look at it, all business is competitive. Even Robert will bring up the #s of how many notaries there are in the state of FL. There's no way of knowing how many of those are in business, focusing on notary work as the prime occupation.

Reply by Robert/FL on 5/9/10 11:31am
Msg #335603

But you are not ALL notaries first and foremost

There are many NSAs that started out as notaries and decided to use their notary commission to get into another field, i.e. signing agents. That's all well and good. I don't have any problem with notaries becoming NSAs. What I *DO* have a problem with is people that become notaries just to become signing agents. IMO people should be notaries first, learn their laws, and then become NSAs only AFTER they are already comfortable with being a notary.

The NNA trains people who have never been notaries to become notaries and signing agents all at once. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Being a notary is enough to worry about, so for someone with no experience to go into a loan signing they have a lot of potential mistakes to make - not only in explaining the different documents but also in their notarial certificates. It is simply too much to chew at one time.

This is another example of the NNA churning out these "certified" signing agents who have never even notarized something.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 5/9/10 11:50am
Msg #335606

That wasn't my point..

My point is those taking work from you are notaries....NOTARIES...not signing agents - they may do work as signing agents, but they're your competition in the notary world - and careful - they may well start taking wedding business from you too since we can all perform weddings. But they'll be hired as a notary to do the wedding, not as a signing agent to do the wedding - or a wedding officiant - a notary.

Reply by Notarysigner on 5/9/10 12:00pm
Msg #335607

Re: Hate to say this but........

I also get calls from attorneys who don't feel the need to have a full-time notary on-staff. They go on NR OR # looking for a notary, not NSA to take care of their notarization work.

Reply by Robert/FL on 5/9/10 2:42pm
Msg #335623

Re: That wasn't my point..

Linda, I am not accusing signing agents of stealing "my" general notary work. I know that signing agents are struggling and would very gladly give up those general notary assignments so that an NSA can keep food on their table. BUT - out of all the notaries in Florida, I would say that most of them probably have their commission as part of their job - in a bank, title company, attorney's office, etc. And the majority of those notaries do not do any sort of mobile notary work. I see on this board all the time that signing agents are beginning to take more and more general notary assignments since there are less loan signing opportunities. I am not saying there is anything wrong with that.

My point is, the OP fell into the NNA trap of "get rich quick" by becoming a notary and "certified" signing agent all at once. I disagree with that practice. I know that NNA doesn't really care what I think, but IMO only experienced notaries should venture into the signing agent field. Because from what I see, and from what I read on this board, there are many, many NSAs (many of whom are NNA-trained), who are not only bad signing agents but bad notaries who don't know how to do their notary job. IMO somebody should master their notarial duties before getting into the signing agent field, because those who are starting both at once are the ones who make the big mistakes.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 5/9/10 2:59pm
Msg #335627

Couldn't agree with you more Robert

Especially this..

"My point is, the OP fell into the NNA trap of "get rich quick" by becoming a notary and "certified" signing agent all at once. I disagree with that practice. I know that NNA doesn't really care what I think, but IMO only experienced notaries should venture into the signing agent field."

I go a step farther....*I* feel signing agents should have prior experience with real estate documents and closings - but we know that doesn't happen, which at times can be a very scary thought..

Reply by MW/VA on 5/9/10 4:46pm
Msg #335634

On that point we are in total agreement. Many of us, who

were members of that organization have opted not to renew. They pushed their agenda, with cert/bgc's. At first I thought this was a good idea, as it was a move toward having people trained & knowledgeable. Too bad it was a marketing tool on their part for their own profit.
There are very good training programs available elsewhere. As a newbie I didn't know any better.
I purchased a "Virginia Notary Law Primer" from them that is full of incorrect information.
That is exactly why many of us participate in this forum. We share info with others in the field.
As you have noticed, much of the discussion is about the trials of running a business as an independent contractor. These are especially tough times, because we're directly impacted by the "mortgage meltdown", which will probably go down in history as one of the great economic disasters of all time. IMO, NNA cashed in on the bubble like many others.
I do appreciate your input on the forum, Robert. I think it would be a good idea to remember that you're generally "preaching to the choir". The small percentage of notaries that participate in the forums are generally those interested in improving the industry.

Reply by desktopfull on 5/9/10 8:31pm
Msg #335648

Some of us can walk & chew gum at the same time Robert n/m

Reply by Robert/FL on 5/9/10 8:34pm
Msg #335649

But you don't LEARN to walk and chew gum at same time n/m

Reply by desktopfull on 5/9/10 8:46pm
Msg #335651

So says the flower child. n/m

Reply by Robert/FL on 5/9/10 8:53pm
Msg #335652

Is that supposed to offend me?

I am know flower child, anyone who knows me can tell you that. Even if I was, is that supposed to offend me somehow?

IMO you are just making an @$$ of yourself right now.

Reply by desktopfull on 5/10/10 10:38am
Msg #335677

You actually just made one of yourself n/m

Reply by Robert/FL on 5/10/10 10:44am
Msg #335679

Whatever, desktop. As always, I stand by what I said above. n/m

Reply by MW/VA on 5/9/10 12:06pm
Msg #335608

Re: But you are not ALL notaries first and foremost

Some of what you say may be true, Robert. Many of us have issues with the NNA for flooding the market with inexperienced people. It's not good to assume, however, that everyone that got into this business, even through them, wasn't diligent enough to learn what it means to be a notary. We have enough problems in the industry, with being referred to as "just a notary", being blamed for everything because we are at the end of the food chain, etc. Unfortunately, experience is always the best teacher & we grow in knowledge as we go. Also, many people have come to this profession with lots of experience in other fields.
There's good & bad in every area of life. There are crooked cops, etc., but that doesn't make all cops bad. I've learned that it's never good to make broad generalizations.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 5/9/10 12:39pm
Msg #335609

Totally agree with you Marilyn:)

I was always first and foremost a notary.
Also, Signing Agents were around long before the NNA. Those of us who were with NASA know this. Susan Pense coined the term "SigningAgent" when the NNA was a notary association only and dedicated to the notary (which they no longer are as far as I am concerned). Unfortunately when Susan sold out to the NNA they flooded the market with inexperienced signing agents, advertising you could make $150 a signing (I think that is what they were advertising back then), and they continue to flood the market, saying there is a shortage of signing agents.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 5/9/10 12:45pm
Msg #335611

When I first started looking for positions here in FL

2006 prior to moving here I put my resume on Monster dot com - and the NNA was advertising there - become a notary, close loans and make $100K/year...

Now I never expected to make that much as part-time was always my intention, but in 2006 they were pushing the signing agent field as a very lucrative one.