Posted by Joan_OH on 5/29/10 4:47pm
Msg #339014

NOTE: it is NOT ok to bring your baby to the closing!

Went to a purchase closing yesterday with an Attorney and City Manager present and in walks another closer with her infant. I'm sorry, this just IS NOT professional and I doubt the title company knew this was happening because the Attorney and City Manager certainly didn't. At $125 a closing, hire a babysitter or stay home. Really, at ANY amount of money, hire a sitter or stay home or get a different job. I've worked long and hard in my community to earn the respect of investors, Real Estate agents, Lenders, etc. This just make us all look bad as a profession.

Joan-OH

Reply by Notarysigner on 5/29/10 4:55pm
Msg #339016

I don't think the NNA covers that...how tacky..for her!

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 5/29/10 4:57pm
Msg #339018

I completely agree!!! I went to a closing once. I was the second notary to go out. The borrowers told me how unprofessional the previous one was, she had even taken her child to the closing and the child apparently didn't know how to behave!

And another time I had scheduled a notary for a signing, my usual notary for that particular area was unavailable. The title company let me know the next day that the notary had taken her grandchild with her (apparently the title officer had called the borrowers as a "random" check of how the closing went and the borrowers let her know). I never used that notary again.
Sometimes signing agents seem to view this profession as a "hobby".

Reply by jba/fl on 5/29/10 5:43pm
Msg #339029

But - if one is breast feeding, one can't possibly leave the child behind, right?



Seriously - I know the difference folks. (Tongue in cheek)

Reply by BossLadyMD on 5/29/10 5:53pm
Msg #339032

maybe she thought it was bring your 'child to work day'

:)

Reply by C. Rivera Chicago Notary Services on 5/29/10 6:05pm
Msg #339033

yes, Sylvia, you said it! And that is another reason

why we're not a respected profession.

Reply by jba/fl on 5/29/10 6:22pm
Msg #339036

I'm going to disagree with that assessment Cari

There are bad apples in every bushel, and yes, it does only take one to ruin the entire bushel, but there are thousands upon thousands of bushels to be had. Each bushel contains what, 100 + apples?, so we cannot concur that all apples in all bushels are bad.

Just as there are apples, there are oranges (LOs), pears (mtg. brokers), apricots (real estate agents), plums (banks), peaches (appraisers) and so on. Since there are a few bad ones, are they all bad? Do we perceive them as all bad?

I think not, for any profession.

Reply by C. Rivera Chicago Notary Services on 5/29/10 6:26pm
Msg #339038

...didn't say that it was the ONLY reason why our

profession is not respected. I did say, it was ONE of the reasons.

And I agree with your post, and am cracking up at the same time for your analogy of the brokers, but I would've called them prunes!

Reply by jba/fl on 5/29/10 6:31pm
Msg #339041

Re: ...didn't say that it was the ONLY reason why our

Plums for the banks - dried they are prunes. Pears for brokers - the most tasteless fruit.
Apples for notaries - bright and shiny - one a day keeps ill health away!

Reply by C. Rivera Chicago Notary Services on 5/29/10 6:42pm
Msg #339042

=) n/m

Reply by CopperheadVA on 5/30/10 8:44am
Msg #339077

I was the second notary a few weeks ago for an appt that was 2 miles away from me.

Previous appt was for 7 PM and borrowers told me that the first notary got there 2 1/2 hours late and she arrived by taxi. (Apparently she was late because she lives in the neighboring county, which is at least 30 - 45 minutes away, and her prior appt was late. Instead of heading on to her next appt and going back to meet with the late one afterward, she made the 7 PM borrowers wait until she could get there.)

The borrowers had simple questions about the paperwork that she should have been able to answer but couldn't (such as why is my payoff different from what my last mortgage statement says?). They couldn't get a hold of loan officer or TC. Notary had to call someone for a ride home and wait for them to come pick her up - she left at 11 PM with unsigned docs.

The SS that hired me is one that likes to pay on the low side. I charge them a reasonable $125 and apparently they hired a cheaper notary the first time, but they obviously got what they paid for. They did not call me for the first appt which, again, was located only 2 miles away from me - they chose to go with a cheaper notary who lives 30 - 40 miles away. I guess they were willing to pay a little more for the second go-round so it would get done properly.

Reply by C. Rivera Chicago Notary Services on 5/30/10 12:31pm
Msg #339085

MORE proof that you get what you pay for!

Excellent post Copperhead/VA!

Reply by LKT/CA on 5/30/10 1:26pm
Msg #339089

<<<Went to a purchase closing yesterday with an Attorney and City Manager present and in walks another closer with her infant. I'm sorry, this just IS NOT professional and I doubt the title company knew this was happening because the Attorney and City Manager certainly didn't.>>>

Did someone say something to her about bringing her infant to a business meeting? Or call the TC to complain? Did they commence with the signing or send her home? If you were there as the NSA, why was she there? Just curious......

Reply by Joan_OH on 5/30/10 7:11pm
Msg #339125

"Did someone say something to her about bringing her infant to a business meeting? Or call the TC to complain? Did they commence with the signing or send her home? If you were there as the NSA, why was she there? Just curious......"

There were two transactions that day. I handled one and she handled the other. The city was buying Two properties. She had already done her transaction with the purchaser (the city) when the sellers showed up. They thought I was their notary before everyone figured out "it was the notary with the baby that just left". She was called back to complete the transaction. I went in to do my closing. The City Manager commented in a not so nice way that the last closer brought her baby. I don't believe anyone contacted or complained to the title company and information I gleaned there led me to believe it was a signing company hired notary.

I, however, am now aware that this title company is obviously in need of professional courtesy closers as the signing company they are using is obviously not supplying what they are paying for. That information gives me a new lead to market.

Joan-OH

Reply by Frank/NC on 5/30/10 3:45pm
Msg #339101

How about a borrower that has 8 dogs and thinks it's ok to have them jumoping all over you?

Reply by jba/fl on 5/30/10 4:13pm
Msg #339104

But - it is BO's home - they live there. Big difference n/m

Reply by LKT/CA on 5/30/10 9:54pm
Msg #339147

Re: But - it is BO's home - they live there. Big difference

A Notary should not be subjected to and a victim of a BO's home. The NSA didn't ask to be there, the NSA was *asked* to be there for the BO's convenience. Within their escrow funds, the notary services they paid for didn't guarantee *mobile* notary services, just notary services. So they ought to thankful a NSA is willing to come to their home so they don't have to sign in the escrow office or at Starbucks. The BO needs to make provisions for this business visit. If they aren't willing to make allowances for *one* hour and decide to act like a donkey's rear-end because it's "their" house...the NSA shouldn't put up with that "@#$&!" and leave. I know I would. JMHO

Reply by jba/fl on 5/30/10 11:05pm
Msg #339158

I did sound a bit flippant with this response, didn't mean

to appear this way.

I guess I've been lucky - I've not had this situation. Usually it is with homeowners who are apologetic for even one or two dogs trying to "sniff and see who's here."

I apologized for my seeming lack of concern....not intended.

Reply by Maureen_nh on 5/31/10 10:44am
Msg #339175

Re: I did sound a bit flippant with this response, didn't mean

While I agree that it is unprofessional to bring any child to a signing , this may have been a one time thing because of circumstances. I am glad she didn't leave her baby in the car.

As for dogs, I am a dog person for the most part and don't mind them. I spent an hour and a half at one signing listening to howling and barking the whole time and left with a nasty headache. I prefer getting sniffed a few times, after which I am usually ignored. One time I had this dog who was very agitated and alert , but not threatening. The man of the house arrived a bit late and rover immediately settled down and became my best buddy. Doing his job protecting Mom.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 5/31/10 10:58am
Msg #339176

Re: I did sound a bit flippant with this response, didn't mean

I'm a dog person too Maureen.
I know I have posted in the past about one experience I had. Borrower came to door accompanied by this beautiful large white dog. The dog sat at my feet during the signing. I always carried dog treats in my brief case. so was giving her treats. She was absolutely beautiful. About halfway through the signing another large dog came into the room, so I gave her a treat too, she gingerly took it out of my hand. Borrower says to wife "Did you see that, she took a treat from Sylvia". I told him that I have an affinity with dogs. He then said "These aren't dogs, they are purebred wolves"

Now, had I known that the borrowers had wolves (they had 4 altogether, two were outside in the back yard) I probably would have been hesitant to go there. I am so glad I did, these were beautiful animals, and those two were docile.
That was about ten years ago, and the borrowers own a pak n ship place, and ever since that day they have been sending clients to me for general notary work. They don't have a notary in the store, borrower used to be a notary but said there was too much liability, so he asked if I would mind him sending his customers wanting notary work to me.
He still sends several a week over to me, sometimes 2 or 3 a day.

Reply by LKT/CA on 5/31/10 12:42pm
Msg #339205

Re: I did sound a bit flippant with this response, didn't mean

<<<I did sound a bit flippant with this response, didn't mean to appear this way. I guess I've been lucky - I've not had this situation. Usually it is with homeowners who are apologetic for even one or two dogs trying to "sniff and see who's here." I apologized for my seeming lack of concern....not intended.>>>

No apology needed, your post was not flippant at all [to me]. I offered a counter-thought so NSAs would realize that they don't have to suffer through a signing under adverse conditions to them (i.e. allergies, health issues, uncontrolled animals, etc.] just because it's the BOs home.

I too have been lucky and not had any situations - although there was this one reverse mortgage signing I wrote about awhile back where the lady's son could have caused a problem but it worked out fine.

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 5/30/10 8:18pm
Msg #339133

If I was that NSA...

I'd ask them politely to put the dogs away. I have 2 artificial knees. It's not cool for me to be knocked over. Since I can't kneel, I would have a terrible time getting up off the floor. That being said, I would have to leave, if they refused to put the dogs away.

Reply by LKT/CA on 5/30/10 9:56pm
Msg #339148

Agree with Shoshana n/m