Posted by HisHughness on 4/16/11 10:42pm
Msg #380111

Screening questions

When I call to confirm an appointment, I have a short litany of questions I go through. Many of them are the result of bitter experience. Basically, they are:

1. Do you have a <current> drivers license, and, if not, any other form of ID that meets Texas's statutory requirements? Please make a copy and bring both the original and the copy to the closing.

2. How is your name(s) carried on the ID? Please read it to me so that I can compare it with the documents you will be signing. If I don't have the dox at the time of the confirmation call, the name goes in the file for comparison when I do get dox.

3. [If no spouse is listed.] Are you married? If you are married but separated, no matter how long you have been separated, please tell me now.

4. the closing will take about an hour. We will be shuffling about 150 pages of documents between us, so we will need a working space, something like a dining table <that has been cleared off>. [I started including this after encountering several little old ladies doing reverses whose dining tables were full of gimcracks, and a couple of borrowers who expected to bend over a coffee table for an hour.]

5. Do you have a cell phone, and, if so, what is that number?

6. Please bring a blank check to the closing.

I also, of course, provide my name and phone numbers, and tell the borrower he can call either number up to 10 o'clock any night of the week if he needs to talk to me. I inform him that I cannot move the appointment forward without the lender's consent, but usually I can set it back if doing so will not delay dropping the dox.

Does anybody else have something they cover in the confirmation phone call that saves hassle? I have come to realize that I am a slow learner; it is only fairly recently that I have begun verifying names on IDs beforehand, and it has proved helpful. Any other suggesting that might head off problems would be welcome.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 4/17/11 7:19am
Msg #380123

I tell them that I need to send a copy of their ID back with the signed documents. I ask them if they have a way to make a copy at their house? I ask them to have it ready for me when I arrive. Almost 100% of the time, they do.

There are a few companies I work for that do not require a copy of ID, so I don't bother with it on those calls. For example, LSI only requires that their Certificate of Identification form be completed.

Reply by Lee/AR on 4/17/11 7:49am
Msg #380124

What you & Copperhead do, plus: Please get a pencil and make notes (or they will forget the ID copy). If night--leave a light on so I can find you, please.

I also confirm their address and go over the last couple of appropriate directions given on my printed Yahoo Map...which usually results in getting some 'landmarks' or peculiar aspects of 'finding them' and sometimes I discover that the mapping program is way wrong/out of date. This has become VERY important around here as they are converting many addresses to 911 compatibility... and the address I'm looking for, maybe even the road name, may or may not be accurate.

Reply by jba/fl on 4/17/11 7:53am
Msg #380125

I always ask where is their house number located? On the house, mailbox, fence, driveway, etc. I really hate it when it is on the house with a bush obscuring it, or above a light that has a hood so that the light only shines downward.

I also hate when they tell me "red X car in driveway" - like at night any car is identifiable by color, etc.

Reply by KARA/NJ on 4/17/11 8:16am
Msg #380128

Always confirm the address the signing is taking place at. I made the mistake of not doing that once, went to the borrowers home only to find out it was their summer home. They lived a state away and were pretty upset. So lesson learned...

Reply by Susan Fischer on 4/17/11 1:27pm
Msg #380152

Good one, Kara. *Many* times, when I say I'm in

Lincoln City, their come-back is, something like, 'why, I'm in (name another area)' - and a new Notary must be scheduled ASAP. Tons of second homes here.

Reply by parkerc/ME on 4/17/11 8:55am
Msg #380129

I also ask how flexible they are in their time, in case e-docs are late getting to me.

Reply by AM_NC on 4/17/11 9:06am
Msg #380130

I also confirm address/location of signing and directions and ask if house number is marked on mailbox. If not I get landmarks for location.

And, I also ask if they know (since I don't have documents yet) if they are going to need to bring funds to close and if so, and depending on $ amount, they may need a bank check and I instruct them to confirm with their loan officer.

Reply by James Dawson on 4/17/11 9:47am
Msg #380134

I introduce myself and give my number. I ask them if someone has discussed the HUD1 with them and remind them I will need a photocopy of the ID they are going to present to me as well as a cashier's check (if funds are due). I also tell them I will call ten minutes before I arrive ( traffic can create delays) so they'll be on the lookout for me. Blockshopper will tell you who the owner is (spelling of name check)

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 4/17/11 10:28am
Msg #380136

James, what is this?

"Blockshopper will tell you who the owner is (spelling of name check)"

Reply by HisHughness on 4/17/11 10:39am
Msg #380138

Thanks, guys. These are wonderful, and will definitely make things easier.

Reply by Blueink_TN on 4/17/11 3:50pm
Msg #380172

Location, location, location

Amazing how different locations spark different questions. For example, when I did closings in CA I would ask if I needed a gate code to get in - In TN I ask if I can reach their home without a 4WD

Reply by Jack/AL on 4/17/11 3:59pm
Msg #380175

Re: Location, location, location

Comments above mention the address number on the house or mail box, or elsewhere. In rural areas, I sometimes see 5 or 6 mail boxes mounted on a board between two posts. Some boxes may have numbers and some not. Sure enough, I may arrive to notice that two or three houses have the outside light on. For rural areas, I ask for some specific way to distinguish which house belongs to the borrowers.

Reply by Blueink_TN on 4/17/11 4:08pm
Msg #380176

Re: Location, location, location

Exactly. More times than not, there are no house numbers..anywhere. If they tell me it's the house with the big rig in the yard, I need to ask the color of the big rig. You never know, they may all have big rigs!

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 4/17/11 4:09pm
Msg #380177

Re: Location, location, location

100 yards past the church on your right you'll see a signpost - well, it's faded out now but you'll see it -

And I love 'You can't miss it"....wanna bet??? Watch me...

Just make sure the goats are outside..

Reply by NJDiva on 4/18/11 8:11am
Msg #380202

Carry a spot light

I carry a flashlight that's bright enough to shine as a spot light. Of course it doesn't matter if there isn't a number on the house, but it certainly helps to distinguish a landmark or color of a vehicle.

Reply by Matham on 4/21/11 7:14pm
Msg #380926

A blank check

Why would you ask them to provide a blank check? Shouldn't they already know how much of a check they are suppose to provide?