Posted by Judy Johnson on 2/5/12 11:54pm
Msg #410982

Helpful Hints for a Newbie????

I'm a month new and I would appreciate any helpful hints & tips!! Getting started is kind of scary .... How does one ensure a smooth organized start?? Getting the necessary equipment & supplies (laser printers, fax machines, etc) can take time .... Are there any good programs, services, and/or software that can temporarily or permanently replace pricey equipment??

Just trying to be well prepared and organized to avoid delays. I'll share whatever good stuff I may come across as well.

Thanks in advance!! :-)
Judy

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 2/6/12 12:16am
Msg #410984

While you're waiting to buy your laser printer and other equipment you may want or need, learn your state's handbook backwards and forwards. If you're going to be a signing agent, you need to learn that business backwards and forwards. Marketing yourself is essential.

Reply by Judy Johnson on 2/6/12 3:10am
Msg #410988

Yes, that isa good idea!! I have been going over my notes from the Notary & Loan Doc courses. It's a start, thanks for responding!!

Reply by JanetK_CA on 2/6/12 1:53am
Msg #410987

My best advice is to become good friends with the orange search button that shows up when on the first page of this forum. Nearly every question you can think of has already been asked and answered a gazillion times and is archived here. Much good information has also been compiled under message #33325. (You can search for that, as well.)

BTW, it seems like there has been a new flock of people new to this business lately. Just curious, what made you decide to get into this business?

Reply by notarybug/ca on 2/6/12 4:10am
Msg #410989

Great, thank you!! I will search the archives.

For me, the self-employed flexible schedule is all the employment I can commit to at this time. My daughter has a few developmental delays and her programs & school schedule has made it close to impossible to get a 9-5 job. So this works perfect for me.

Thanks for replying!!

Reply by Shoshana/AZ on 2/6/12 7:12am
Msg #410994

You may find that it's not really all that flexible.

If you need the money, you pretty much have to take them as they come (except for the lowball jobs).

Reply by Lee/AR on 2/6/12 7:04am
Msg #410993

Having the proper equipment is mandatory if you expect to get any business. It doesn't need to be that pricey or new. Try eBay for a multifunction.

Reply by gotogirl on 2/6/12 8:11am
Msg #410999

Thanks for bringing this question up, has anyone responded with worthwhile replies ? I failed to purchase a proper laser printer during 1st commisssion, and never explored the possibilites of blossoming skill trained as Signing agent. Just renewed as Notary for 2nd round on thur. feb. 3rd in Kern County of California, looking for laser printer now. Want to start 2012 right, can anyone direct me to low priced & accepted brands that would be accepted for E-doc's?

currently researching Hewlett packard compatible (PCL) referred to in Signing Agent seminar workbook, noting various laser brands. Interested in Canon Pixma MX420 at $108.00, would this measure expected equipment reguired for work-field ? What are other Notaries using?

on-line to Wal-mart.com finding all-in-one and hope to make right decision. reply soon as possible, and help me avoid the "newbie" status. Want the lowest $$ After which, want tips to attract work. Besides just ? Wal-mart, where should my sites be ?

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 2/6/12 8:39am
Msg #411001

The Canon is an ink-jet...so no good.

I personally prefer HP (a bit pricier) but have a Brother MFC as my main now - I like it. You NEED a black and white laser printer with decent print speed - 10-20 pages per minute won't cut it if you do get a lot of work in and can't meet your deadlines cuz you skimped in the wrong areas.

And remember - we all want to pay the lowest money - but you have to make an investment to get profits from that investment, especially in the beginning. You have to spend money to make money - and that money spent will pay off in the long run.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 2/6/12 9:01am
Msg #411003

My advice is to buy a good older laser printer off EBAY - one with a low page count (specifically look for the page count listed in the ad). You will also need to purchase additional memory to install in the printer so it can handle the huge files we receive. Otherwise, it will take you two hours to print your docs. I have an HP 2430tn but there are other good models out there. One of my HP 2430's recently broke and I bought another one off EBAY from an asset recovery guy for well under $100 plus $40 shipping. I bought the same model as I already had because I could just transfer the memory and the extra paper tray to the *new* printer.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 2/6/12 9:16am
Msg #411005

One more thing to look at with EBAY printer purchases is that sometimes the power cord is not included. You will also need to count on buying a toner cartirdge (even if a toner cartridge is included, it's usually on its last legs) - I buy mine refurbished from LD Products or Monoprice.

You may also want to look for a network-capable printer, designated with "n" after the model number.

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 2/7/12 9:50am
Msg #411080

Linda, I like HP as well.
I still use the HP Laserjet 2100 I bought in 2002 It served me through many loan signings.

I have a Canon Pixma for photos etc, but as you pointed out it is an inkjet and would not do for loan documents.

Reply by Pro Mobile Notary on 2/7/12 9:16am
Msg #411077

I believe the Canon Pixma line is an inkjet printer. You will need a dual tray laser printer. In our office we use what I consider the best bang for the buck with Epson's HL-5370-DWT. You can by it online for between $250 & $300 and have it printing in less than 15 minutes.

Why do we think it is so good? It will automatically pull either a letter size or legal size page automatically while doing a loan doc print run. It will print a set of 140 page loan docs in about 5 minutes with the machine totally unattended. We have never had a paper jam with the machine and best of all, per page printing costs are minimal if you purchase the high volume toner cartridges.

I have purchased more than a dozen printers over the past 20 years and excluding our fancy large format color 13 X 19 printer, nothing in th way of an office printer has ever come close to this reliable production workhorse.

Reply by Linda Juenger on 2/7/12 11:52am
Msg #411084

I am not seeing an Epson 5370 but I am seeing a Brother

5370 dw Is this the same thing? I'm researching printers and am looking at all options.

Reply by pleasantonCA on 2/8/12 9:50am
Msg #411122

Re: I am not seeing an Epson 5370 but I am seeing a Brother

Same here. Looking for a new dual tray printer but am leery of Brothers as mine gets jammed if left unattended.

Reply by Pro Mobile Notary on 2/8/12 11:47am
Msg #411136

Re: I am not seeing an Epson 5370 but I am seeing a Brother

My apology. I was referring to the Brother 5370 DWT. A great machine.

A good secondary machine would be a Brother all-in one that does copying, scanning, faxing and printing. Both machine are cost effective for toner and drum replacement. We have the machine printing in normal and not economy mode and we get more pages printed than they claim you should get. I found that quite remarkable.

When buying printers there are two considerations. Most folks fall for the "give away" prices and wind up paying through the nose for toner and drums and per-page print costs.

Reply by Pro Mobile Notary on 2/7/12 9:40am
Msg #411079

Judy, just hardware and classes will not help you get where you would like to go.

Do yourself a favor and find a competent signing agent in your local market and try to shadow them for a few signing assignments just to see the verbal exchanges, the non-verbal communication between signer and borrower's body language and the general flow and tempo of how a successful signing agent does it. No classroom, online forum or chat room or lesson plan can communicate the dynamics at the signing table. Rehearsing with other signing agents will also fall far short of the mark.

When you are ready to go, sign up with some of the "bottom fishing" signing services that are lousy and slow payers. Make your mistakes in their store as once you know what is going on and how to do signings properly you will not likely want to work for those lousy payers anyway, so nothing lost if you make a flub or two with them.

Best of luck with your new career.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 2/7/12 9:58am
Msg #411081

You're not serious here are you?

"When you are ready to go, sign up with some of the "bottom fishing" signing services that are lousy and slow payers. Make your mistakes in their store as once you know what is going on and how to do signings properly you will not likely want to work for those lousy payers anyway, so nothing lost if you make a flub or two with them."

Plenty lost!! I don't care if it's a top company who pays top dollar or a crappy SS who offers low then doesn't pay at all - borrowers are borrowers and deserve a whole lot more respect than this statement allows them -

Not to mention there's more involved than just "shadowing" another SA - there's training your own competition AND the confidentiality factor to be considered.

All due respect Howard, your notaries may love you, but I really strongly disagree with this advice and personally think it's the worst advice I've seen posted here in a very long time.

JMO

Reply by LKT/CA on 2/7/12 10:13pm
Msg #411109

Agree with Linda H

The borrowers are the ultimate victims of an incompetent signing agent. And to go from bad suggestion to worse suggestion, Howard Blum encourages Notaries to use "bottom fishing" SSs as a means to gain experience, which results in the bottom fishers remaining in business and the Notary working for free. Frightening and appalling is how I would describe Howard Blum's advice.

Reply by Pro Mobile Notary on 2/8/12 9:32am
Msg #411120

Re: Agree with Linda H

I love making friends in these posts.

Reply by Pro Mobile Notary on 2/8/12 9:31am
Msg #411119

Re: You're not serious here are you?

I do believe everyone is entitled to their opinion.

There are many signing services out there that will not take on newbie signing agents. Others don't care. I believe the difference of what service uses newbies and consequently pay less are likely those services that ask for fax backs. They are so unsure of the experience level and capabilities of their signing agents that they want to see some key docs via fax right away to make sure they are done correctly. When you deal with professional, experienced signing agents asking for fax backs could be offensive to some pros.

There have been many discussions in other forums about the merits of shadowing and this is the first heated objection to that I have read anywhere. There is no issue of confidentiality is the borrower is asked for permission for the signing agent to bring along an observer. We have never, ever had a borrower say no to a request for a 'tag along' for their signing.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 2/8/12 9:45am
Msg #411121

Re: You're not serious here are you?

"this is the first heated objection to that I have read anywhere"

Then you've not read extensively in these forums - there's been many discussions about this on numerous boards about it.

Also, I should point out that on more than one occasion I've been instructed by the hiring party that I am NOT to bring anyone else with me to the closing. So, I would strongly suggest that if a notary is considering bringing someone along to observe they clear it not only with the signers but with all other parties - hiring party and title (if hiring party is an SS).

JMO

Reply by Pro Mobile Notary on 2/8/12 10:01am
Msg #411124

Re: You're not serious here are you?

You are very correct. I have more important things to do than hang out and read these posts.

I am the hiring party and owner of a nationwide mobile notary service.

The only time we field train new signing agents is if they have s specific foreign language skill we need. Either my partner or I field train them after providing hands on classroom training. We then let them shadow us and then we shadow them on their first few signing assignments.

Not a single borrower, escrow officer or mortgage lender has ever objected to shadowing.

Why are you so darn angry?

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 2/8/12 10:08am
Msg #411125

Me? Angry? Nah...life's too short for angry... n/m

Reply by Lexie on 2/9/12 4:36pm
Msg #411286

Re: You're not serious here are you? - I am, read on

So this is my opinion. I did what Howard suggested. I worked for Nations Direct for over a year. I became a designated signing agent for my area and was really busy. The volume made up for the low pay ($40/per - 8 yrs ago), since I was doing at least 4 a day. I usually got the docs the day before, FedEx, and just went from one to another. I would come home, fax in, wait to be told I could drop the package, and run to the FedEx box. Sometimes they would not be picked up until the next day, but they knew, I told them, when the last pickup would occur. I called in to the scheduler so many times in the first 6 months, I was sure they would drop me, but they taught me what I needed to know about the business. I know we have all made mistakes, some worse than others, in the beginning, but I did not do badly at all. To this day, if I am unsure, I call in. I would rather be informed than wrong. the call in's during signings are rare now, but I will call. I never shadowed anyone, but have offered to let two different people shadow me. I hope my rating is good enough that I continue to receive assignments. I am a little more picky now than 8 1/2 years ago, but I am that much older and know myself better as it pertains to my business.
Howard is not very far off the mark IMHO.

Reply by notarybug/ca on 2/14/12 6:02am
Msg #411676

Re: Helpful Hints for a Newbie .... GOT MY LASER PRINTER!!!!

Yayy I got a 4-In-1 HP Laserjet!! So now that the hardware situation is covered, how do you get your foot in the door with Signing Services??

I've already applied with several but I haven't done any Loan Docs yet for the experience they prefer. I took and completed the Loan Doc course, but its the hands on I need now. The teacher gave us a contact for a female who has been Signing for about 8 years. I've spoken to her and she is more than happy to meet with me and show me the ropes .... Only thing is getting her to schedule a meeting with me. She has a FT job and school so she doesn't have much free time lately.

I DO understand she has her own life, but I am only a month new and I would still like to get my feet wet before I jump all the way in. I don't want to royally mess up a borrowers loan docs, and I never thought some escrow/title companies or borrowers might not want another Notary tagging along.

**Thanks everyone for replying .... Sorry about the conflicts that were started. :-( ***