Many mobile notaries are out there right now wondering why they ever got into the mobile notary signing agent business. Lured, no doubt, by fancy advertising promising easy money with flexible hours, they have come to find that mobile notary money doesn’t comes easy. Flexible means that they are available to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, not like that “rigid” Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 gig they used to have.

It’s not that the mobile notary business is all bad. In fact, it can be quite rewarding, fun and profitable. But is it right for you?

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before starting up your mobile notary business.

1. Am I willing to work long hours for very little to no money?

It’s not fair but it’s true. When starting out your mobile notary business be prepared to make very little money for the first few months while working 12 to 16 hour days. From marketing to sales to taxes, there is always something to be done when starting out as a mobile notary, and you won’t be paid for it. In fact, the only time you will make money is when you make a sale, which leads to my next question.

2. Do you enjoy sales?

If you don’t, you’re going to have a very hard time getting your mobile notary business off the ground. As a mobile notary you are in the business of selling a service, and when you’re selling your services as a mobile notary public, you’re really just selling yourself.

3. Do you have a fuel efficient vehicle?

Being a mobile notary means putting a lot of miles on your car, sometimes 5000 or more. On top of that, gas prices are through the roof. Estimate your miles per month at about 2,500. Divide that by the miles per gallon your vehicle gets, for example, 12mpg comes to 208 gallons of gas. Multiply that by the cost of gas, $3.30 in some areas, which comes to a grand total of $684, out of pocket, before you collect a dime.

4. Got Commitment?

What happens if you make 75 bucks as a Mobile Notary in your opening month? Are you going to quit? What if all you make is 75 bucks for the first 3 months as a mobile notary, what then?

Being a mobile notary is not easy. At first it’s all work all the time, but after a while you might take a full weekend off and even make some money. Ask yourself, do I have the commitment to get through the worst of the worst just to see it get worse, because the truth is it does and it will. Like with everything, in time you learn to love it and become good at it, if not great.

Spend some time talking with friends and family about your plans and be realistic about what to expect when first starting out as a mobile notary.

One of the challenges facing the mobile notary business is trying to keep costs down, a feat not so easily done with ever rising gas prices and 200 page E-doc files. What follows are 3 cost cutting tips that will help your mobile notary dollars go further.

One of the challenges facing the mobile notary business is trying to keep costs down, a feat not so easily done with ever rising gas prices and 200 page E-doc files. What follows are 3 cost cutting tips that will help your mobile notary dollars go further.

1. Buy a Laser Printer

When making a purchasing decision with a printer, don’t go out and buy the cheapest ink jet printer you can find. It might seem better to save yourself a few hundred bucks by buying that $99.00 printer over a good quality laser printer but the truth is your cost per printed page is cheaper with a laser printer. That all adds up when you’re printing a few thousand pages of loan documents each month. Plus there is nothing like the speed and ease of a dual tray laser printer when printing out e-docs at the end of the month. Just ask any mobile notary signing agent that’s been around for awhile.

2. Get a new phone service

There are many choices in phone services these days for a mobile notary and VoIP is one of the most cost effective solutions available, however it’s not for everyone and you’ll need a high speed internet connection. Some local phone companies are offering good discounts for bundling services. Give them a call and see what options are available to you. If you take the time to research what options are available in your area, you could save hundreds of dollars each year.

3. Buy a Hybrid car

$3.60 a gallon! Say no more. Gas is one of the largest expenses that we incur as a mobile notary. Buying a hybrid vehicle makes sense. This is a long term purchasing decision, and if you know that you’re going to be a mobile notary for years to come, a hybrid car could be quite a benefit to your long term business objectives.

Being a mobile notary can be a very costly business, but if you take the time to think ahead when making purchases you will see more mobile notary service dollars in your pocket.

N3 Notary for information use only, not to be used as legal advice.

VII

THE NOTARY SHALL AFFIX A SEAL ON EVERY NOTARIZED DOCUMENT AND NOT ALLOW THIS UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED SYMBOL OF OFFICE TO BE USED BY ANOTHER OR IN AN ENDORSEMENT OR PROMOTION.

Whether in traditional or electronic form, the seal is an essential tool of notarization and an important symbol of the Notary’s authority. A mishandled or misused seal can enable fraud and cause severe financial and legal damage to both the public and the Notary. It is critical that Notaries use seals in accordance with best practices, and to ensure that they are secured against potential misuse. Guidelines for the proper care and use of seals are detailed in Guiding Principle VII of The Notary PublicCode of Professional Responsibility.

VII

THE NOTARY SHALL AFFIX A SEAL ON EVERY NOTARIZED DOCUMENT AND NOT ALLOW THIS UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED SYMBOL OF OFFICE TO BE USED BY ANOTHER OR IN AN ENDORSEMENT OR PROMOTION.

Because using a seal outside of notarization can enable fraud, Guiding Principle VII instructs Notaries to make sure seals are not affixed to a document in advance. Notaries should never allow another person to use or handle their seal and, when it is not in use, the seal should be stored in a secure place only accessible to the Notary.

Additionally, Notaries should not allow others to use or reproduce the seal in commercial endorsements or testimonials. A seal is used solely for official notarial acts; to use a seal in an endorsement could mislead the public into thinking a product or event has been officially certified or approved by a government agency when it has not.

Effective July 1, all Puerto Rican birth certificates will be invalidated as part of a sweeping move by the U.S. commonwealth to combat fraud. That means the 4.1 million people of Puerto Rican descent in the U.S. will require of new proofs of birth & may approach Notaries to assist them in obtaining such documentation. Federal & Puerto Rican officials warn there will be a wave of attempts to commit fraud amid the confusion, as Puerto Rican birth certificates are in high demand on the black market for those seeking to receive unlawful passports, driver’s licenses & other government benefits.

Notaries approached with a request to help receive proof of birth in Puerto Rico should keep in mind that they have no power to “certify” vital records such as birth documents.

The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) reports that they took this aggressive action because lots of Puerto Rican businesses improperly asked for certified copies of birth certificates for common transactions, & then stored the copies in unsecured areas. Lots of were stolen & sold for use in generating fake IDs. Approximately 40 percent of passport cases inquired in to by the U.S. Department of State in recent years have involved fraudulent use of Puerto Rican birth certificates. More information about the Puerto Rico law & where to receive a lawful certified copy of a Puerto Rican birth certificate can be found at the PRFAA Web-site.

N3 Notary for information use only, not to be used as legal advice.

Increasingly businesses & risk-managers are becoming aware of the need to implement sound policies & best practices based on a recent judicial mandate holding employers liable for ensuring that their staff Notaries follow professional standards of care when carrying out their duties. The court ruled standards often go beyond what is spelled out in state law. These issues can be professionally managed with the right knowledge, which is why the NNA has opened a key session of its 2010 Conference in Chicago to employers of Notaries.

With compliance & liability issues increasing dramatically, employers are faced with the need to set clear policies for their staff Notaries & to need sound record keeping & regular, formalized training to meet best practices requirements.

This information is so important that a special General Session at the Conference featuring an analysis of the Vancura v. Katris case is being offered without charge to employers of Notaries. The General Session, scheduled for Thursday June 17 at 9 a.m., will feature a discussion with Michael Closen, an attorney & leading expert in notarial best practices who testified as an expert witness before the New York Appellate Court.

In Vancura v. Katris, the Court ruled that an employer can be held liable for the misconduct of its Notary employees who are not properly trained or supervised. Employers now have a broad “common law” duty to protect the public from a Notary who fails to meet the standard of care outlined in the Model Notary Act, even if state law does not mandate that level of performance.

The session will detail employers’ responsibility to train & supervise staff Notaries & focus on generating notarial standards of care that protect the public, & protect themselves & their Notaries from liability.

The Tennessee Legislature is considering a bill that would permit Notaries to officiate wedding ceremonies. If passed, the Volunteer State would join Maine, South Carolina and Florida in giving Notaries the power to legally perform nuptials.

Senate Bill 95, introduced by State Sen. Jim Tracy, would add Notaries to the list of public officials — such as mayors, judges and county clerks — who are already legally authorized wedding officiants. The Washington, D.C., City Council has a similar bill pending.

Before any signature can be lawfully notarized, the signer must appear in person before a Notary Public at the time of the notarization. This is the only way to properly identify the person and verify his/her willingness to sign a document and understanding of what is being signed.

This may seem like a simple principle, but ignoring it is one of the most common ways Notaries get in trouble. Requests to notarize for an absent signer can come from a supervisor, client, close friend or relative. All too often in these instances, as innumerable court cases demonstrate, the signature on the document proves to be a forgery.

Every notarial certificate requires a signer to be in the Notary’s presence at the time of the notarization. If that is not the case, you open the door to fraud that can inflict serious financial harm on unsuspecting victims. You also expose yourself to criminal prosecution, civil lawsuits and administrative penalties. So remember:

1. The signer is always required to be in the physical presence of a Notary Public for every notarization

2. Personal appearance is the only way to properly identify the signer

3. Failure to require personal appearance opens the door to fraud and exposes you to civil and criminal liability

N3 Notary for information use only, not to be used as legal advice.

All N3 customers now have access to our online order management system.  Customers can order, track, and manger their mobile notary loan signing requests from any computer with web access.  To activate you account call us at 800.455.1146

A Notary Public Helps You Protect Your Interests

We would like to believe that the people we do business with are fair and honest, and for the most part, our beliefs are justified. We do business with people that keep up their end of agreements with little more than a verbal agreement. Sometimes, though, whether deliberately or accidentally, a business partnership goes sour. When that happens, given the litigious nature of the modern world, you are going to end up in court. If that happens, a set of notarized documents that spell out the terms and conditions of a business agreement are a key element in protecting your interests.

When rendering a decision, the judge must balance the types of evidence presented in a case. Not all evidence and documentation carries equal weight in the deliberations of a judge. Given a pair of identical documents, whose sole difference is the presence of a valid notary seal, a judge will give more weight to notarized document. Is this unfair? Of course not. A notary public is authorized by a state governing body to verify the identity of persons entering into a formal agreement, and to witness the signing of that agreement. A notary public helps you protect your interests by acting as an officially recognized impartial witness.

A Notary Public Facilitates Business

How willing are you to conduct a large scale transaction with a complete stranger? Using a notary public can help lower the risks of doing business

Low Cost

Helps Prevent Fraud

Can Help in Collections

In the business world, knowing who you are dealing with is always a concern. Although research can reduce some of the uncertainty factor, new business arrangements always carry a certain level of risk. A notary public helps keep business moving by giving you a very affordable extra layer of security against fraud and breach of contract. Simply put, notarizing business agreements lets you concentrate on getting the job done.

Sometimes, a Notary Public Is Required

Depending on the state where you live, the services of a notary public may be required in order to complete some kinds of business. Usually, business that needs the attention of a notary involves the state or local government at some level. Some examples of the kind of transactions that may require the services of a notary are listed here:

Selling a car

Selling a house or other real property that is registered with the state

Transferring financial power of attorney

The types of transactions that require a notary vary from state to state. In some states, the services of a notary may not be required but are often recommended in order for a transaction to be considered durable in a legal sense.

Mobile Notary advertising, the good and the bad

As mobile notary publics, we all wish that we could get our phone ringing off the hook like it was just a few years ago. At that time there wasn’t really much we had to do in the way of advertising to keep our phone ringing.Today, it’s a very different story.

Since the REFI boom ended there has been less work and more mobile notaries than ever before. The phones are no longer ringing off the hook and we are no longer turning away work. In fact, some of us are desperate for it.

Many mobile notary publics are turning towards advertising as a way to keep their phone ringing and business going. From notary search sites to yellow pages to PPC search engine marketing, every advertising avenue comes with different advantages as well as disadvantages. 

Notary search sites

For a mobile notary a notary list is a very effective way to get your name in front of people who are looking for a notary public. These sites work by offering people who are looking for a notary public the ability to search for notaries within a specific zip code. Once the person starts a search they are given a list of names to select from and are then provided with the contact information to the notary.

Advantages: People calling you from the site actually need a notary. Some sites are free to advertise on.

Disadvantages: Most mobile notaries are on these sites so it is difficult to stand out from the crowd. The actual number of people using theses sites to search for a notary may be very low.

Yellow Page Advertising

For a mobile notary yellow page advertising can be very effective. Think about how you use your local yellow pages when you’re looking for something. If you’re like most people, when searching through the yellow pages you’re ready to buy. You are not looking through the local phone book for a cab company just to gather more information or check on pricing. No, you need a cab. And it’s the same with a mobile notary service, people looking in the local yellow pages for a notary public need a notary public, maybe even a mobile notary public, and chances are that if you have an add you will receive a call.

Advantages: Low cost. People using the local yellow pages are looking to buy.

Disadvantages: You can not change your add once published. In markets where there are a lot of other notary publics or mobile notaries advertising it can be hard to stand out.

PPC Search engine marketing

PPC is the common term used for what is known as pay per click advertising or pay for performance advertising. It works like this: search engines like Google and Yahoo offer you advertising for specific key words or phrases like “mobile notary” and you agree to pay a fee for each time someone clicks on your advertising. This form of advertising is very popular and effective. You have the control to set your daily or monthly budget so you never really over spend on your advertising, however to be effective you will need a website for your mobile notary service.

Advantages: Helps to control advertising costs. Real time key word or key phrase control. Be seen only when people are searching for your key words or phrases.

Disadvantages: Certain key words can be very expensive. You open yourself up to click fraud.

When you’re looking for new ways to advertise your mobile notary service, keep in mind the commitment you will be making with the advertiser. While some companies do not require any term commitments, others will want year long or multi year commitments. Never sign an agreement without reviewing the terms and conditions that you are going to be agreeing to, and make sure you have a solid understanding of what you can expect from your advertising.