I became a notary public because I wanted something to work around my family. I wanted to be able to pick and choose when I worked, without the fear of never getting another call back. And, I wanted guaranteed money, I didn’t want to worry about commissions or home party sales.
When I found out about mobile notaries, I hit the net to find out everything I could on the subject. I joined message boards and asked lots of questions. I went through pages and pages on search engines to find companies that would hire me, once I received my license. Once I felt I had enough information to get started, I ordered my notary handbook from the state and studied for the test.
In the state of California, you have to take a formal test before you are allowed to become a notary public, but each state is different. For instance, in Missouri, I was told that all you had to do was take home a test, open your notary book, find the answers, fill out the form and turn the test in. There are other states where all you have to do is fill out a request form and you are in.
To become just a mobile notary public won’t guarantee you any real money. In fact, some states mandate that you are only allowed to charge ten cents for each notary act performed, while states like California allow you to charge $10 per act. That is why it is important to become a mobile notary public and signing agent.
As a mobile notary public, you are allowed to charge for the convenience of driving to their homes, offices or homes, provided you tell them the fee up front. As a signing agent, you charge companies a flat fee of $50 to drive to their clients, witness their signing of loan documents and complete any notarial acts needed.
What will happen is this; you will receive a page from a signing company, in which you will return a call within five minutes of that page. The company will tell you the date and time of the signing and you will say yes or no. If you say yes, they will send you a faxed confirmation sheet with the name and address of their client. You are to call the client and set up an appointment or confirm an existing appointment. You then call the signing company back with the confirmation. A few days later, a package will arrive at your door. This package will contain all the information needed for the signing. Once you meet with the client, you will over night the package back to the company, via their code. It’s that simple!
Working as a notary public can be stressful at first, as you build up your clientele, and wait for those calls to start coming in. But after awhile, things begin to feel more at ease and the calls become more of your routine.
The great thing about being a mobile notary public is that you know exactly what you are getting paid when you take the job. You also know that you will receive a check for that job the following month. And, it can work around your children or current job. Most of the signings are done at night because most people want to sign when they are at home, but then you will have those that want to take a day off from work and will meet with you during the day or on a week-end.
When I started, there wasn’t any formal information on how to get started as a mobile notary public. So, I prepared a notary handbook to help others get started, if you are interested in this biz, check out my web site. Look up the notary links, articles, interviews and decided for yourself.
The most important thing in this business is doing your job right the first time. When you are good at what you do, jobs will flock to you. It may not happen over night, but it will happen. You also must enjoy traveling and meeting new people.
Alyice Edrich is the author of several work from home e-books, and
the editor-in-chief of a national publication for BUSY parents.
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