Posted by MMH/OH on 9/20/13 9:37am
Msg #485277

Newbie saying hi

Hello to all,

I am just starting the notary process. I took my test and passed. Now, I am waiting to file my paperwork and be sworn in at the Clerk of Courts. I am excited and nervous at the same time to start my own notary business in Ohio. I plan to start out with general notarial acts such as acknowledgments and affidavits at first. Then I will take a loan signing course after I have notarized several documents and venture into that territory. I can't wait to get to know others on the board better. Nice to meet you all.

Thank you.
Michelle

Reply by Robert Wells on 9/20/13 9:40am
Msg #485279

Welcome aboard! Whereabouts are you in Ohio? I am near Findlay in Hancock County.

Reply by MMH/OH on 9/20/13 9:42am
Msg #485281

I am in Summit County in the city of Akron. Thanks for the welcome.

Reply by Wais Sarwari on 9/20/13 9:41am
Msg #485280

Welcome on board, hope you have a full time job beside being a full time notary, because business is very slow right now and wishing you all the best.

Reply by MMH/OH on 9/20/13 9:43am
Msg #485282

Thanks. I think we will all need blessings to succeed.

Reply by Bear900/CA on 9/20/13 10:37am
Msg #485296

Helloooo... and welcome!

So true. Along with a good set of ethics, knowledge of the loan industry, investigative and research ability (search button and Google), tough skin, patience and stamina.

There are a good number of web resources including financial to help you stay abreast and plan ahead.

Best!

Reply by Naomi/TX on 9/20/13 10:31am
Msg #485293

Welcome! Just a bit of advice...If you are looking at this as a source of income, or even additional income,go ahead and get your loan signing certification, thats where the money is $$ when times are good!

Reply by Karla/OR on 9/20/13 11:53am
Msg #485319

Welcome Michelle! Best of wishes to you. I love this work (what's left of it!!) and hope you do too!

Reply by CJ on 9/20/13 2:26pm
Msg #485351

Read this forum every day.

You will learn about problems that regularly come up, you will learn how to solve them, and you will learn the truth about the economy.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 9/20/13 2:42pm
Msg #485353

Welcome Michelle! I think you made a very good decision to start out doing general notary work. It's very helpful to make sure that you know your stuff cold in that area before trying to break into doing loan signings. I would also recommend that you come to this forum daily and read as much as you can. You'll learn tons about what is happening in this field these days.

Also, it's helpful to know that this forum has archives of all posts going back probably about 10 years. At the top of the first page is an orange "Search" button which can be used to access information on nearly any subject you can think of. Most questions have been asked and answered multiple times. (Try searching with different word combinations to get more responses.)

I also recommend that you do some significant research into the loan signing market before you invest too much in venturing into that business. It will be your decision, of course, but if you do decide to proceed, you should know what you're getting into. This business is going through a transition, as interest rates begin to rise. In recent days, they have come back down some, but the long term trend will be up. If you go back several weeks, you'll see numerous posts about the phones not ringing and about business having dried up - and there's lots of truth to that.

There will always be some business, but get to know your area and your competition. If it's very slow for notaries who have been doing this a long time, it will be even more so for new people trying to break into this field - unless you're willing to work for very low fees that may end up losing you money - if you get paid at all. (Also learn about Signing Central - another tab at the top - and research companies before you commit to do their signings. There are lots of poor quality players in this field trying to take advantage of notaries, but you can learn all about that here, too.) On the upside, if you're among very few in your area, you may be able to call the shots!

Best of luck to you!

Reply by Claudine Osborne on 9/21/13 7:52am
Msg #485416

Welcome

Welcome to the Notary field Michelle..Study hard, read the posts here and go into the Search area on this site..There is a wealth of information here and you will learn a lot! Good luck in your endeavors..I'm in the North East area of Ohio..Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties..

Reply by PA_Notary_II on 9/21/13 8:21am
Msg #485417

Re: Welcome

Michelle: click on the 'Find a Notary' tab and you will see that there are 20 Notaries within 20 miles of Akron. This is your competition....no doubt some seasoned Notaries among them who are also looking for work. Not to discourage you, but not the best time to get into this line of work. I sincerely wish you luck.

Reply by MMH/OH on 9/23/13 12:40pm
Msg #485606

Re: Welcome

Oh wow,

Thanks everyone for the helpful tips and advise on how to proceed further. I will do as you all suggest to the best of my ability. I feel being a Notary Public will be a rewarding career in my act of service if not the amount of money I make and I look forward to being a valued service to the public as many of you are.

Thanks again,
Michelle