That's a tough question to answer these days, as there are a few companies out there making big money by training wannabe loan signers, and attracting students with all kinds of unrealistic promises - especially in the current market. I agree with VT_Syrup on that. However, having said that, most of what's involved with doing loan signings is unrelated to notarizing, so I do believe some additional training is called for, unless you have related background and know your way around loan documents. (And I would avoid any programs that refer to our function as "LSS"...)
As for certifications, there aren't any that are 'official' or government authorized, so aren't legally required. The certification offered by the NNA may keep some doors from closing for some assignments with major title companies, but it doesn't guarantee doors will open. There are tons of 'signing agents' out there with lots of free time on their hands...
Your real estate attorney relative may be correct, however, if North Carolina requires an attorney to be involved in a real estate closing. That's probably the first thing you need to know. I did a quick search and saw mixed info, so check with your family member and/or state authorities.
If that person is willing to have you do the notarizations for the transactions they handle, then I'd just recommend doing some online searches for sample loan documents to familiarize yourself with and go for it! You can also become very familiar with the orange Search button on this page. Don't expect Google-like results, but there are two decades+ worth of information archived here on just about anything you can think of to ask. Just realize that everyone has an opinion, and they're not always correct (same with people who teach those classes...), but if you read enough, you'll figure out whose opinions to trust. That's probably the best education that can be had about this field.
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