Posted by Dillon/NC on 4/6/11 4:21pm
Msg #378941

Split Signing

Got a call today at 11:05 am to do a split signing. Husband flying out of town needed to do 12 noon signing. Wife will sign latter today. I asked for full signing fee for both. She asked for discount for second but agreed to my price. I thought it was worth full fee due to such short notice (less than an hour to print docs and get across town to noon appointment then go back latter today for wife). I go into my email and find this message:
"The lender only wants to pay $200 for both signings so I believe I will keep looking. Thank you anyway."
In today's environment, I guess I should have discounted the second visit.
What do you think?

Reply by Lee/AR on 4/6/11 4:27pm
Msg #378943

You did right.

Crikey...the poor Lender makes your fee (plus some) back just in the first month of a 30 year mortgage.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 4/6/11 4:43pm
Msg #378950

Yes..full fee for both..

If you had two separate signings, single signer (as in one signer) you'd be paid full fee for each - this, IMO, is no different.

Unless your quoted fee for both was so out of the ballpark that it couldn't be considered...

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 4/6/11 5:10pm
Msg #378961

Re: Yes..full fee for both..

I agree a full signing fee for both - but deduct the print fee for the second as the docs were already printed out and included in the first signing fee.

Which is why I always listed the print fee separately from the signing fee.

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 4/6/11 4:47pm
Msg #378954

Splitting hairs - was the wife also a borrower?? n/m

Reply by James Dawson on 4/6/11 4:50pm
Msg #378957

two separate time slots, two separate siginings n/m

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 4/7/11 5:28am
Msg #379012

That's why I asked, OP didn't state if

the wife was/wasn't a borrower (signing the whole pkg), or signing as non-borrower. Would make a considerable difference (well, for me it would).

Reply by CopperheadVA on 4/6/11 5:07pm
Msg #378959

Only discount would be consideration that you only have

one print fee. But otherwise you are traveling twice, conducting two separate closings, so yes you should get two full fees. I can't believe they kept looking at that late time so close to the husband's drop dead time!

Reply by Philip Johnson on 4/6/11 5:13pm
Msg #378962

One set of docs a morning signing,two local trips

for $200.00. Sounds like you walked away from an easy deal,while also telling the TC that you are not Johnny on the spot when it comes to getting it done on short notice.

Reply by Moneyman/TX on 4/6/11 5:50pm
Msg #378966

Disagree. Short notice (less than 1 hr) + 2 signings

As others have said and I agree, I would have discounted the second print fee (unless they were requiring that both signers had to receive a complete set), but otherwise full fee on both.

I would find it hard to believe that the husband scheduled the flight 30 min prior to the company calling him.

Short notices deserve no less than full fees.

If one discounts their fees for last minute calls then what is to prevent the same SS company from asking for and expecting discounts when they give you a day or two notice?

He did the right thing.

Reply by Philip Johnson on 4/6/11 5:58pm
Msg #378969

Plant the flag on principal mountain and make the stand.

All one has to do is look on this site at his competition and pretty much see that principal put $200 in another persons pocket. I guess he can always work for NREIS, I understand they call a few days in advance.

Reply by Moneyman/TX on 4/6/11 6:42pm
Msg #378976

Re: Plant the flag on principal mountain and make the stand.

Shoot, using that kind of logic why don't we all just start accepting $50 for full 200 pg edoc signings with 40 mile+ travel one way with 1 hour or so notice, because someone else will get the money if we don't jump at that great offer.

Your time, knowledge, and skills have to have some value. Once you determine what that value is, you have to be willing to stick to asking for that. Just read the board and you can see what "helping out" SS companies that you might think will appreciate it or respect you for it actually gets SA's. Not much.

It's the same reason some designer purses or suites can cost $2K and others (non designer) can cost $50 or less. There is a price for quality and service. Otherwise there would only need to be one store in every city that sold everything in the world at one price.

Reply by upnorth/AK on 4/6/11 5:20pm
Msg #378965

Similar situation

I just got a call on a signing I did on the 31st. The escrow company said that 46 pages of their docs hadn't been sent to me for signature. The SS wanted me to go back out to get them signed, fax them all back, 25 minutes each way, for $15. I laughed and asked if he was kidding. He then said $25 was more than fair as it wasn't his or my fault and it was coming out of his pocket. I very kindly told him that I would be losing money with anything lower than full rate with faxing back 46 pages. He was not happy but agreed to my price. Gotta love it.

Reply by Dillon/NC on 4/6/11 6:02pm
Msg #378971

Re: Similar situation

Reneek, I did not ask that question & did not see docs.
Copperhead, I was surprised myself, I hope he made his flight.
Phillip, I was "Johnny on the spot" at our agreed upon fee. She did not call me back to renegotiate. This was the first time this company contacted me. When I looked in SC, I was surprised to see a 4 star rating. I expect a 4 Star Company to call me rather than send an email to end a deal!
Thanks for all responses, Dillon

Reply by John Schenk on 4/6/11 9:02pm
Msg #378986

I would have discounted the print fee and gave the copy to the 2nd signer. If the 2nd signer was a NBS, I would have gave them a further discount for her signing, and jerked the NBS docs out and put them on the top when I went through the docs ahead of the first signing.

If the 2nd signer isn't a NBS then it's just a total split signing that takes the same amount of time to get the loan package signed for the 2nd signer as it did for the first. Not only that you have to go through the docs and see if you have to attach acks and/or jurats due to the signing being split (which you probably will have to do), so the 2nd signing can actually entail more work than the first one, if it's not a NBS.

I'd have no prob taking off the print fee, unless they both wanted a copy of the docs. Provided the 2nd signer wasn't a NBS, I'd discount the print fee and charge the full fee for the 2nd closing. They may have called somebody else to handle it after I quoted it that way, and that's certainly their right. JMO

JJ