Posted by Jayhawk/KS on 9/28/10 9:09am
Msg #354538

general notary work

I'm ready to break out of the box and do some general notary work to expand my business. I need ideas of what there is to do in general notary work. I already do right of way agent work, and I know about POA's. I'm thinking about leaving cards at nursing homes etc, what else might they need there other than POA's?
Any ideas would be appreciated, since I want to have some new cards printed up just for this purpose ASAP. Thanks in advance.

Reply by James Dawson on 9/28/10 9:12am
Msg #354539

I would suggest you read this board everyday, and also past post also. You will get more ideas here about revenue streams than anywhere else.

Reply by Donna McDaniel on 9/28/10 9:51am
Msg #354544

Banks - most won't do POAs
Fed Ex Office - they got sued and no longer have notaries
Title Co's
Real Estate Offices
Coffee shops, they usually have a display set up for local businesses
Local shipping businesses - they usually don't travel
Clubhouses or Leasing in gated communities
Law Offices
to name a few

At $20 for a thousand here on NR, toss em up in the air and let the wind take them. (Not literally)

Reply by James Dawson on 9/28/10 10:18am
Msg #354558

F Y I Donna my cards are on the desk at the shipping center hub so although they don't have notaries they will take your business cards, at least here.

Reply by Donna McDaniel on 9/28/10 10:38am
Msg #354560

Thanks James, I'll have to make that stop in my travels today.

Reply by James Dawson on 9/28/10 9:43am
Msg #354542

emailed Ya! n/m

Reply by Art_PA on 9/28/10 9:46am
Msg #354543

You may get call for POAs & wills. You have to set your fees to make this pay as these are often not quick jobs. You may have to wait for the person with the document to arrive, and for witnesses. Many nursing homes do not let their employees witness legal documents.

You have to be careful to be sure that the signer has valid ID, and that the person hiring you really understands that they must be sure that the signer's ID is there, and also that the signer is competent. If you have a question, try to get confirmation from the staff, before going there.

The danger is that you could be drawn into a court fight later when the agent's actions are questioned, or when beneficiaries contest a will.

Reply by aanotary on 9/28/10 9:51am
Msg #354545

Lawn sign

I read here about magnetic car signs. The car sign has not brought in much work for me. But my lawn sign has. I live on a quiet street and still manage to get a little general notary work from the sign. I have 2 crazy dogs. So I do not bring people in the house and use the garage instead as my office to sign.

Reply by MistarellaFL on 9/28/10 9:57am
Msg #354549

I actually have a banner

on the outside of my stockade fence, facing a main street in town.
I used to use lawn signs, in friend's/other business' lawns, but that got to be a PITA for my friends, as people would just knock on their doors and ask for the notary.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 9/28/10 9:58am
Msg #354551

Re: Lawn sign...if allowed

I'm not allowed to put signs out at my house - and I'm down 2.5 miles of dirt road - but when I got my business license the County stressed that - no signs on property due to my zoning.

I also recall someone from the Miami area posting that his subdivision went after him because of his car sign.

Be aware of local laws when considering sign advertising is all I'm saying...

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 9/28/10 12:24pm
Msg #354574

Re: Lawn sign...if allowed

I have the same issues with zoning -- no signs allowed, no "customer" traffic to the house, either. I do use car signs, but I have to remove them from my car when I'm parked in my own driveway, otherwise, they consider that advertising. My city's zoning rules are ridiculous. They fine you $100 if they think your lawn is too brown or they see any exposed dirt.

Thankfully, I'm moving soon, outside of the city limits, and the city I'm moving TO allows signs for my type of work, and that will be nice.

Reply by Mary Ellen Elmore on 9/29/10 12:07pm
Msg #354725

Re: Lawn sign

I have not gotten any business from this as I live in a cul de sac but it does help find me when they call for directions.

Reply by Mary Ellen Elmore on 9/29/10 12:05pm
Msg #354724

"You may get call for POAs & wills. You have to set your fees to make this pay as these are often not quick jobs. You may have to wait for the person with the document to arrive, and for witnesses. Many nursing homes do not let their employees witness legal documents."

You ask these questions when you get the initial phone call. Can the person signing tell me what they are signing and why they are signing it? You do know you will need x# of witnesses? They can can not be employees of any medical facility or kin to the signer in any way. (If that is what you state law says-it does here in TN--they can not even be the housekeeper for a person that owns a medical facility)

I have do a lot at the local nursing home and I have never had to wait on the person with the docs or the witnesses.

Let the caller know you need ID and again I h\ave never had a problem with that one. One time we had to reschedule to the next week so they could take the mother to get a state issued ID.

"and also that the signer is competent. If you have a question, try to get confirmation from the staff, before going there." If you have staff answering these sorts of questions for you, they are in serious violation of HIPAA.

"The danger is that you could be drawn into a court fight later when the agent's actions are questioned, or when beneficiaries contest a will. "

This is why you note everything--what questions you asked and how they were answered. Whether your state requires the notarizing of the witness sigs put their info in your journal and have them sign. Note others present.

Not going to stop any lawsuits but it does give you lots of information and others that can testify.

I also, have them sign, especially if they say they did all on their own, a notice that I did not give them legal advice and that they do know they have the option of seeking legal advice. I had it drawn up by an attorney and do not have it handy at the moment.

Reply by Kay/IL on 9/28/10 11:44am
Msg #354566

If you know of any persons running for office, offer to notarize their petitions. They as well as others volunteering for them circulate petitions so you can notarize the statement indicating that they circulated the petition.

Reply by JulieD/KS on 9/28/10 2:20pm
Msg #354597

Re: notarizing petitions....more info

I notarized petitions 2 years ago for Ralph Nader's campaign. When I was called about this job, I asked every conceivable question so that I would be sure to charge a price that was fair to me...and to them.

Well...much to my surprise, instead of doing possibly 35 notarizations in a 2-hour period, which is what they said, I did more like 500. I am not kidding!! 500!! My hand was about to fall off and I was just a little ticked off at the discrepancy between what I was told and what actually came to pass.

There were 3 or 4 of the people whose signatures I was notarizing. They are the ones who stand out in front of busy areas....libraries, etc....and gather signatures. Each of these petitioners had dozens and dozens of these sheets, filled with voter signatures. The petitioner has to sign as being the one who collected the signatures (or, oversaw the collection of the signatures) and then it had to be notarized.

i was to be paid $100 per night for 5 nights. I renegotiated my fee after the first night. I wound up making $900 cash for the five nights but it was hard work and my notary stamp about gave up the ghost.

It wasn't nearly so many after that first night, but I would still notarize in the neighborhood of 250 to 300 per night with the exeption of one night that was leaner because it had rained.
So, if you do petitions, now you'll know what to expect. I sure didn't!

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 9/28/10 12:19pm
Msg #354573

It totally depends on your area, the other notaries, etc. Finding a niche is also really good.

For me, as I've noted before here... I get calls from attorneys all over Southern California asking me to meet them at the immigration detention center in our town. It's a significant portion of my income lately to be sure.

FedEx Office is a good place since, as somebody else noted -- they no longer offer notary service.

Having a quality website that ranks in search engines and is visible on mobile devices is imperative --- I'd say over half of my general notary calls come from people who found me on Google or through my website.

Reply by Roger_OH on 9/28/10 1:11pm
Msg #354581

Re: Good resource for general notary work...

Lauara Vestanen wrote the book (literally) a few years back on "Marketing Your Non-Loan Notary Services". It's the best resource I've seen for getting the most out of general notary work.

Reply by Stephanie_CA on 9/28/10 1:15pm
Msg #354582

Marian: Your website is extremely well done n/m

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 9/28/10 3:29pm
Msg #354620

Thanks!

I did it all my by myself.... it took a looooong time, but when I was out in June after my surgery, I had extra time on my hands and made sure I got it up and running. Having it go up has been great for business.

Reply by Mary Ellen Elmore on 9/29/10 12:16pm
Msg #354726

Re: Marian: Your website is extremely well done YES IT IS!! n/m

Reply by LkArrowhd/CA on 9/28/10 12:36pm
Msg #354577

Re: Check your mail- n/m

Reply by LKT/CA on 9/28/10 8:42pm
Msg #354665

<<<I'm ready to break out of the box and do some general notary work to expand my business. I need ideas of what there is to do in general notary work.>>>

There's anything and everything that can have the signature notarized. Whether it's a form or simply a letter the customer creates themselves. You will definitely need a website. People use the search engines to find products or services. If you're not in the search engines, you won't get calls.