For any notary that made their living as a loan signing agent the word is officially out, times have changed. In the last year thousands of banks, mortgage companies, escrow offices, title companies and real estate offices have closed their doors for good. All of this upheaval affects us, the notary.
Working as a loan signing agent has allowed many notaries to discover an industry they enjoy, independence from the traditional 9 to 5 and an opportunity to take charge of their income. If they can't earn a living notarizing loans what do they do now? The idea of returning to the work place is distasteful to many.
I have recently researched my options. What services can I offer my clients under The Document Diva umbrella that complement the notary work? I have already begun to offer general notarizations and the processing of international documents but with the steady decrease of loan work I need something to replace the lost income.
Below is a list of a few services that I have found that coordinate well with notary services:
Messenger, courier, attorney services, such as court filings, process server, private investigator, copier/reproduction services, legal document assistant, paralegal, wedding officiant and bail bondsman.
The list above is by no means exhaustive. In order to conduct your own research pay a visit to your local court, Secretary of State or county recorder to inquire into their services. If they offer a service there is a company that offers to do the work for you!
The transition may not be easy but it can be done. I wish everyone much success as 2008 closes and we embark on 2009.
Working as a loan signing agent has allowed many notaries to discover an industry they enjoy, independence from the traditional 9 to 5 and an opportunity to take charge of their income. If they can't earn a living notarizing loans what do they do now? The idea of returning to the work place is distasteful to many.
I have recently researched my options. What services can I offer my clients under The Document Diva umbrella that complement the notary work? I have already begun to offer general notarizations and the processing of international documents but with the steady decrease of loan work I need something to replace the lost income.
Below is a list of a few services that I have found that coordinate well with notary services:
Messenger, courier, attorney services, such as court filings, process server, private investigator, copier/reproduction services, legal document assistant, paralegal, wedding officiant and bail bondsman.
The list above is by no means exhaustive. In order to conduct your own research pay a visit to your local court, Secretary of State or county recorder to inquire into their services. If they offer a service there is a company that offers to do the work for you!
The transition may not be easy but it can be done. I wish everyone much success as 2008 closes and we embark on 2009.
2 comments:
Some signing agents have had success with field inspections. Drive to a location, snap a few photos, fill out a quick report. The pay for each inspection is low, but the key for those who have done well is volume. If they can get a regular stream of work every week, they can bunch them together. There's some good information on Rebecca Fair's site:
http://floridasnotary.com/fieldinspectorlist.aspx
Thanks for the information, Alex. We need to do what we can to keep income coming in.
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