The following article was allowed to be posted here by another highly experienced signing agent who graciously shares her experience with all those who wish to have it. My thanks go out to Renee for sharing her invaluable insights.

I can explain a little bit about what goes on ‘inside’ this whole lending process and it might help everyone understand the rhyme and reason for a lot of the consequential situations. I do believe if we all have a better understanding of the way The Machinery works; it will enable us to have more empathy for the whole team of players involved in the loan process. Having more empathy will shift the perspective – which CAN shed a lot of the stress.

As most people know, I came from the ‘inside’; 13 years, with my last couple of positions for wholesale lenders, running the closing/funding depts. What that means or entails might be something only other ‘insiders’ know – but suffice to say that I’ve been ‘around the block’, sat in a lot of chairs in a lot of different positions in retail & wholesale lending and title. This gives me a very broad experience – all of which I am more than happy to shovel out to anyone who wants it. I figure – if I shovel fast enough, by the time I do retire, my head will be completely void of anything to do with mortgages!

Okay … here’s the story on how The Machine works – bear in mind, this is but a synopsis and I could add 4 paragraphs of details for every sentence written here:

The vast majority of mortgage loans are brokered – I believe it’s over 80%, last I read. That means a loan officer, working for a mortgage broker originates the loan and sends it to a wholesale lender to be underwritten, and the loan closes in the lender’s name. The settlement/title company used is whoever the loan officer, or his boss, the broker chooses (pending that lender’s approval).

Loan officer’s have a long history of over-promising and under-delivering. They are salespeople, and they will call their borrower (who is their CLIENT) several times during the processing of the loan, and find something wonderful to tell them. Sometimes, it’s even true – sometimes, it’s a projection. Borrowers look for two words: “approved” and “closing”, since that’s about as much as they understand of the process. It is the loan officer who sets the closing date & time, NOT the lender and NOT the title/settlement co. and NOT the borrower and NOT anyone else who plays into this. It is the loan officer (generalizing, but on a very large scale.) More times than not, he sets the date/time long before the loan is even approved to close. Why? WHO KNOWS!! It’s just the way it is, largely because the loan officer is the CLIENT of both the lender, and the settlement agent. In a capitalistic free-enterprise environment, companies do whatever they can to keep their CLIENT happy. Clients get catered to. The loan officer is their CLIENT. The borrower is the loan officers client, so the loan officer tells the borrower whatever he can to make HIM happy. “Hey, just called to tell you we’re closing next Tuesday at 4:00.” Alternatively, he might say "We're closing next week." and never get around to mentioning the day/time to the borrower - but he will stipulate it to the LENDER.

The loan officer submits what HE thinks is a good/clean loan to the lender and says “Here – we’re closing this next Tues at 4:00.” Cart before the horse, always. THIS is the crux where all the seeds of hell are spawned. Lender scrambles to process that loan, get it through underwriting and sent to closing. Now, sometimes the loan officer has actually called his settlement agent ALSO, and told them he’s scheduled this – but, not always. He might ‘forget’ and then call them Tuesday morning … THIS is the birthplace of our industry, enter the Notary Signing Agent and their almighty “24/7” value!

As a lender’s closer, it takes a solid hour to optimally perform the job of drafting a closing package. It entails making sure all the laws and guidelines are observed, completing the Hud and correlating your Hud with title’s Hud, approving that, and checking some 50-plus data fields for accuracy (names, dates, pricing, vesting, blah blah blah), ensuring title is correct and all requirements are going to be satisfied …ok, cutting to the chase, it takes an hour. HOWEVER … seldom do you GET an hour. When I finally quit that rat race, I was doing 10 packages out AND 10 packages IN (post-close audits) daily, (post-close audit sheet was 3 pages of items to check), averaged 90 phone calls a DAY, did all the hire/fire/training of a dept of 9 closers, funded 50 million every month. It is well known in the industry – closers speak ‘closer-speak’ – never complete sentences, very brief and ‘crispy’ but they understand each other, they know there’s just no TIME for cuddling. We all look like walking heart-attacks on way too much coffee, and there’s ALWAYS a box of tissue on every desk because closers end up in tears almost daily. The only people who really get along with closers are other closers. The stress is unimaginable. (I honed a better tool against all this – a strong sense of HUMOR!)

The whole machine is PUSH operated. Lenders try to entice more business by catering to that, and their file turn-around time is their second largest sales point (next to pricing – actually, it sometimes outweighs pricing). 2 and 3 day turn-around is required, to compete in that industry.

Ok, back to the illustration I’m trying to paint here. Remember – the closing was set by the loan officer long before the package could be prepared. The most usual scenario was  for the file to come into the closing dept the afternoon before closing, and all attempts were made to get that package out to the title company before the end of the day. Sometimes, you could and sometimes you could not. Sometimes, the package would be handed to you and you’d be told “Here – the borrower’s are waiting at the title company to close.” Or “Here, this is closing in an hour.”

The package goes from the lender to the title/settlement agent. What has become typical over the last couple years – directly due to the huge percentage of errors that Notary signing agents make – is for the title company to scan that package before sending it on. Prior to that, they’d simply forward it as soon as they got it – and even that was usually at the 13^th hour, but now there’s that one added step of scanning which expedites the corrections when needed, and allows them to know for certain exactly what was in that package.

Now, I’ll grant you that the entire industry has a lot less files going through the machinery right now – BUT there’s just as FEW employees doing the work. The lending industry deals with the ‘roller-coaster’ tendencies of this business by only having the minimum number of employees at any given time. When a boom hits – those people work themselves ILL, before they’ll bring on more hands, and then those hands will be in the form of ‘temps’ who may or may not have a clue about the job. Once they have a few ‘good’ key people, they will fill in with lower-paid/less experienced employees or temps rather than hire experienced people.

And there you sit, the Notary signing agent, fingers tapping, watching the clock and waiting, waiting, waiting for the package. I assure you this – the reason is NOT because someone isn’t doing their job, or doesn’t care, or is lazy. The reason is NOT because they are not organized, or have no clue about your needs. The reason is because this is the way it is, there is not one darn thing they can do about it, they don’t like it any more than YOU do. I guarantee you that if anyone ever allows the worker-bees to make the decisions, things will be different!! But … that’s just not likely to happen.

It is my hope that you will take on a perspective of being an empathetic member of a large team of ‘worker-bees’, all of whom are trying their best and are working towards the same goals. I hope you will not let this machinery stress you, and that you won’t aim your anger or frustration at other people who SHARE it. In-between all these details I’ve written, there are all the ways that you as an Notary signing agent can become a greater ‘added value’ to this industry, can adapt a ‘team’ perspective, can offer those you deal with a little empathy, and further your success as both a person and a business.

-Renee Kovacs

Equipment and your Notary Signing Agent

 Office

There are, as you can imagine, a wide variety of opinions on what is needed to set up your notary signing agent office. While technology is an absolute must for printing documents and keeping the lines of communication open between all parties involved in a closing, there are some shortcuts you can take when first starting out.

Your intial investment into your notary signing agent business can be huge. There are, however some not so obvious resources you can use to limit those costs. I am a very frugal person. I am always on the look out for money saving ideas. I believe you will find that by using some of these tips, your start up costs will be drastically reduced.

One of these resources is your local flea market. There is often a filing cabinet, desk, fax machine or other neccessity offered at a sharply reduced rate, saving you hundreds of dollars in your start up budget. Keep in mind that you will, hopefully, be using the equipment you buy a lot in your daily business activities so look for quality. Office furniture will of course be according to your tastes, however office equipment will be something you will want to find new or slightly used. Always make sure that if you are purchasing electronic equipment that the seller has a users manual, or that the equipment is new enough that you can obtain a manual through the manufactor. Always plug the electronic in to insure that is does indeed work before you buy it. There are other places you can go such as Hospice thrift stores, second hand stores, etc that will have other office items you will need. I always check these markets out before heading to my local walmart or office supply store to spend the big bucks when I need something. You would be surprised at the amount of equipment you can get for a fraction of the money.

I am a big fan of ebay and have purchased nearly 80% of my equipment from sellers on that site. It is well worth your time to set up an account and check out this avenue of savings. It only takes a few minutes to set up an account and the savings from using ebay are unbelieveable. A word of caution here is in order. I personally wont buy any equipment on ebay unless it is new in the box. I want to make sure that what I am buying is not damaged and will last for a long time. You will have to read the ads carefully and if you are unsure about an item you can ask the seller a question through a link provided on the ad page. The savings available to you from ebay are just as great on new items as they are on used. New items often come with a warrenty. Always shop around either online or in person before committing to an item on ebay as you may find a sale on an exact same item somewhere else. If you are in need of a laser  printer, you can go to Hewlett Packard at http://www.hp.com , for example, to see products and prices before you make a decision. After you know what a new item will cost directly from an office supply store or walmart is the time you want to visit ebay. Also, always make sure if you make a purchase of an item from ebay that you take advantage of shipping insurance. This is a very important step that should not be skipped. It will cost a little more but you will protect your purchase from damage or not being delivered that way. I was a seller for a long time on ebay and I had a lot of claims from customers who either never received their item or the item arrived damaged. Insurance made it possible for my customers to receive their money back in the event something happened. Your not saving anything if you have to take a loss. Ebay also has a rating system for their sellers. It is a way to see how many transactions that seller has had and how many people were satisfied with their dealings with that seller. This is crucial to know as a buyer, as you can avoid doing business with someone who is known to be a rip off. Always check that seller rating. It should be no less than 98%. My rating was 100%, meaning that not one of my customers were unsatisfied with their transaction. You can also leave comments about your transaction and read what others have written about the person you are thinking of buying from.  There is a handy link to do that on each ad page. If you are not familiar with ebay you can follow this link to their site at http://www.ebay.com.

Whichever avenue you choose, keep in mind that you will need quality, durable equipement. It would make no sense to put out money on a cheap piece of equipment intially, only to find that you need to purchase the same piece of equipment again 6 months down the road.

Keep in mind that there are also hundreds of other ways you can save money on the items you need to get started in the notary signing agent business. Coupons, sales flyers from local stores, internet companies who offer discounts on office supplies are all avenues to consider. Keep in mind that every penny you save will add up at the end of the year to huge savings. I challenge you to find those savings. Here's to your success.

-Cheryl Aerts, CNSA

flnotarysigningagent.com

Notary Signing Agents Website Tips

Due to the large number of questions I receive from new Notary Signing Agents concerning building and maintaining a website for their Notary Signing Agent businesses I have requested permission to reprint an article written by Jill Whalen that I found helpful when I was putting together my site.  I would like to thank Jill for sharing this knowledge with us all.

Do not purchase a new domain unless you have to. Due to Google's aging delay for all new domains, your best bet is to use your existing domain/website if at all possible. If you're redesigning or starting from scratch and you have to use a brand-new domain for some reason, you can expect to wait a good 9-12 months before your site will show up in Google for any keyword phrases that are important to you.

Optimize your site for your target audience, not for the search engines. This may sound counterintuitive, but hear me out. The search engines are looking for pages that best fit the keyword phrase someone types into their little search box. If those "someones" are typing in search words that relate to what your site offers, then they are most likely members of your target audience. You need to optimize your site to meet *their* needs. If you don't know who your target audience is, then you need to find out one way or another. Look for studies online that might provide demographic information, and visit other sites, communities, or forums where your target audience might hang out and listen to what they discuss. This information will be crucial to your resulting website design, keyword research, and copywriting.

Research your keyword phrases extensively. The phrases you think your target market might be searching for may very well be incorrect. To find the optimal phrases to optimize for, use research tools such as KeywordDiscovery, Wordtracker, Google AdWords, and Yahoo Search Marketing data. Compile lists of the most relevant phrases for your site, and choose a few different ones for every page. Never shoot for general keywords such as "travel" or "vacation," as they are rarely (if ever) indicative of what your site is really about.

Design and categorize your site architecture and navigation based on your keyword research. Your research may uncover undiscovered areas of interest or ways of categorizing your products/services that you may wish to add to your site. For instance, let's say your site sells toys. There are numerous ways you could categorize and lay out your site so that people will find the toys they're looking for. Are people looking for toys to fit their child's stage of development? (Look for keyword phrases such as "preschool toys.") Or are they more likely to be seeking specific brands of toys? Most likely, your keyword research will show you that people are looking for toys in many different ways. Your job is to make sure that your site's navigation showcases the various ways of searching. Make sure you have links to specific-brand pages as well as specific age ranges, specific types of toys, etc.

Program your site to be "crawler-friendly." The search engines can't fill out forms, can't search your site, can't read JavaScript links and menus, and can't interpret graphics and Flash. This doesn't mean that you can't use these things on your site; you most certainly can! However, you do need to provide alternate means of navigating your site as necessary. If you have only a drop-down sequence of menus to choose a category or a brand of something, the search engine crawlers will never find those resulting pages. You'll need to make sure that you always have some form of HTML links in the main navigation on every page which link to the top-level pages of your site. From those pages, you'll need to have further HTML links to the individual product/service pages. (Please note that HTML links do NOT have to be text-only links. There's nothing wrong with graphical image navigation that is wrapped in standard <a href> tags, as the search engines can follow image links just fine.)

Label your internal text links and clickable image alt attributes (aka alt tags) as clearly and descriptively as possible. Your site visitors and the search engines look at the clickable portion of your links (aka the anchor text) to help them understand what they're going to find once they click through. Don't make them guess what's at the other end with links that say "click here" or other non-descriptive words. Be as descriptive as possible with every text and graphical link on your site. The cool thing about writing your anchor text and alt attributes to be descriptive is that you can almost always describe the page you're pointing to by using its main keyword phrase.

Write compelling copy for the key pages of your site based on your chosen keyword phrases and your target market's needs, and make sure it's copy that the search engines can "see." This is a crucial component to having a successful website. The search engines need to read keyword-rich copy on your pages so they can understand how to classify your site. This copy shouldn't be buried in graphics or hidden in Flash. Write your copy based on your most relevant keyword phrases while also making an emotional connection with your site visitor. (This is where that target audience analysis comes in handy!) Understand that there is no magical number of words per page or number of times to use your phrases in your copy. The important thing is to use your keyword phrases only when and where it makes sense to do so for the real people reading your pages. Simply sticking keyword phrases at the top of the page for no apparent reason isn't going to cut it, and it just looks silly. (Purchase and read our Copywriting Combo for exact tips on how to implement this correctly.)

Incorporate your keyword phrases into each page's unique Title tag. Title tags are critical because they're given a lot of weight with every search engine. Whatever keyword phrases you've written your copy around should also be used in your Title tag. Remember that the information that you place in this tag is what will show up as the clickable link to your site at the search engines. Make sure that it accurately reflects the content of the page it's on, while also using the keyword phrases people might be using at a search engine to find your stuff.

Make sure your site is "link-worthy." Other sites linking to yours is a critical component of a successful search engine optimization campaign, as all of the major search engines place a good deal of emphasis on your site's overall link popularity. You can go out and request hundreds or thousands of links, but if your site stinks, why would anyone want to link to it? On the other hand, if your site is full of wonderful, useful information, other sites will naturally link to it without your even asking. It's fine to trade links; just make sure you are providing your site visitors with only the highest quality of related sites. When you link to lousy sites, keep in mind what this says to your site visitors as well as to the search engines.

Don't be married to any one keyword phrase or worried too much about rankings. If you've done the above 9 things correctly, you will start to see an increase in targeted search engine visitors to your site fairly quickly. Forget about where you rank for any specific keyword phrase and instead measure your results in increased traffic, sales, and conversions. (You can sign up for a free trial of ClickTracks, which easily tracks and measures those things that truly matter.) It certainly won't hurt to add new content to your site if it will really make your site more useful, but don't simply add a load of fluff just for the sake of adding something. It really is okay to have a business site that is just a business site and not a diatribe on the history of your products. Neither your site visitors nor the engines really give a hoot!

-Jill Whalen                                                                                                                                   

   Jill Whalen, CEO and founder of High Rankings® a search marketing firm outside of Boston, and co-founder of SEMNE, a New England search marketing networking organization, has been performing SEO since 1995.  Jill  is the host of the High Rankings Advisor search engine marketing newsletter, author of “The Nitty-gritty of Writing for the Search Engines" and founder/administrator of the High Rankings Search Engine Optimization Forum. 

Handling a Stressful Assignment

     You dont have to be a Notary Signing Agent very long before you realize that this can be a very stressful job. Every individual involved in the process feels the pressure from the borrower, to the lender, to the loan officer, to signing agency, to you as the Notary. How you handle this stress will make or break you as you begin to develope your business.

     If you have marketed yourself correctly, then you have made such statements as able to handle problematic closings with ease or something to that effect. You have told your clients you can handle their closing with professionalism and integrity. You guarentee them perfection and promptness along with courteous customer service.

     There will be many assignments that run smoothly. Then there are the other days.

 The documents are late, your printer is doing strange things, The car is acting up, the documents wont print right or dont load at all. It looks like all is lost and you can not handle your assignment. These are the times to step back and regroup. Letting your client down is not an option. You must push on to accomplish your goal with professionalism and promptness. Take a breather and relax for a moment and tell yourself there is a solution to the problem. Then dig in and find that solution. That is what will make you a true asset to your client.

     The best way to handle problems that could arise is to deal with them before they do. It can be as simple as making arrangements with a friend or family member to use their vehicle in the event something happens to yours, to ordering extra supplies such as toner cartridges and paper and keeping extra on hand. I have in my office two computers and three printers just for this very reason. If one goes down in the middle of an assignment I have a backup plan standing by. I also keep a contact information book where I write down the phone numbers for such tech support centers as elynx, dynamic docs, swiftview and other document viewers. In the event my problem is with the viewer, I have a quick and easy way to get help with any problems that come up. Try to think of all the problems that could arise and work out a backup plan for yourself. The next time you tell a client you can handle your assignment with ease, you will truly be prepared to back that up.

     Speaking of backing up, remember that all the stress you have over preparing to meet with the borrowers should be left at the office before you leave for your meeting. The borrower is going to have a lot stress of their own to deal with and a Notary coming into the picture who appears frazzled and stressed is going to make the closing miserable for all parties involved. Take the time on the drive over to meet with the borrower to back up and calm yourself so when you arrive you are relaxed and confident and ready to take charge of the closing.

     The stress and pressure can be great, but with a little forethought you can greatly reduce the risk of losing a client due to a problem that couldn't be overcome. Stay calm and use your head and your backup resources to push on to excellence. If it is handled correctly no one will even know there was a problem and a stress free transaction is the best thing you can offer a client.

-Cheryl Aerts

flnotarysigningagnet.com

 Hurricane Season and our Businesses

 If you were in the middle of a terrible storm and life as you knew it was crumbling all around you, what would you do?  I bet you would reach out to neighbors, friends and family. You most likely would reach out to the companies you do business with in an effort to make a deal to delay payments or inquire if some sort of relief is available. I think it would be safe to say you would need some help in order to regroup and rebuild. You would hope companies you do business with on a regular basis would be understanding in this situation, that has torn your world apart, perhaps even helpful in your time of need.

If you are a notary signing agent, then you know that each and every one of our clients is in the middle of a terrible storm. The winds from this latest crisis are ripping apart everything in its' path. No one is safe and everyone is suffering from damages. Businesses are being torn apart, working relationships are being destroyed, whole communities are being leveled. Injured companies are crying out for help. They must have our help to survive and we, as signing agents, can throw them a lifeline. Ignore the cry for help and they will go under, taking us with them.

Companies are having to cut back to make it. You see everyday where another company is laying off employees and cutting back on expenses. A lot of companies didn't cut back in time and have now gone under. Everytime a company calls a notary signing agent with an assignment they are asking us to take a lower fee. They are cutting back. They dont want to, but they do have to, in order to make it.

To me I would rather throw them the lifeline they need by looking into where I can cut back in my business in order to help my companies stay afloat. Now is a crucial time to practice that "exceptional customer service" speech we all pitch to our clients.They desperately need it and they definately deserve it. Think about your own clients and how they met your fees when things were going good. Think about the calm after the storm. Who do you think the companies you give a break to will call after the storm? The one who threw them the lifeline right?

So is there something you can do to cut back on your expenses to be able to offer your services to your suffering clients? I have a few suggestions to get you started in the right direction. 1) make sure your vehicle is running at its best by getting it tuned up. Replace old spark plugs, wires and make sure tires are in good condition and at the proper air level. This will increase your gas mileage, thereby saving you money.2) When your on the road bring a thermos of coffee from home instead of stopping into the gas station to buy that 1.00 cup of coffee. Same for water, soda and meals. If you have multiple signings and you know you will be out a good part of the day, take a small cooler with your lunch in it instead of hitting that fast food joint for lunch. 3)If mapquest has led you astray and you are unsure as to where your going, use your cell phone and call to insure you are not miles away from where you should be. Speaking of cell phones, there is a quality, cheaper service available there to save money as well. Tracfone offers great service and you control the cost by buying minutes as you need them. I use it and it costs me around $50.00 every 2-3 months to have cell service. Take a look at your cell phone bill and you will see that your bill is double that per month.4) Most printers have an option you can easily set that saves on toner.5) buy paper when it is on sale and buy it in bulk. A local drug store recently held a back to school sale and offered letter size printer paper for a $1.99 a ream. Yes, I was in line and walked out with a case for 19.00. It was also a tax free weekend here in my state.6) check out products you may need online before you purchase them anywhere. Check ebay often as high ticket items can be purchased at a fraction of the cost of regular office supply stores. I recently purchased a 89.00 leather briefcase, brand new on ebay for $11.00. That included shipping!

As you can see there are a lot of ways to cut back and the more you can save the more value you can offer to your clients. Remember when that phone rings and that scheduler is offering $75.00 for a refi 15 miles from you, that it is not that they feel your time is worth nothing, rather they need your help. Put yourself in a position where you can say yes and win yourself a greatful client in these aweful current conditions. The business you save could be your own.

Cheryl Aerts, CNSA

flnotarysigningagent.com

Remember the old saying "anything worth doing is worth doing right"? I can remember my parents and grandparents repeating this to me over and over again when I was growing up. It must of stuck too because I find myself repeating it to my kids. I believe it is one of the things that have made my business as a Notary Signing Agent so successful.

I run across order confirmations all the time from the Title companies and signing services that I work with that say dress appropriately, you are representing our company. This kind of instruction goes without saying, in my opinion. I cant believe there are those out there conducting business as a Notary Signing Agent, who must be told how to dress or how to act. If you are one of those people I implore you to go into your local bank and take note as to what the employees in that office are wearing. Pay close attention to how they conduct themselves as they deal with their clients. These people are professionals. They would make a great example for anyone unsure how to dress or act in a professional manner. The image you portray to the companies you serve and their clients reflects on the entire Notary Signing Agent industry. Millions of Notary Signing Agents and the companies they serve are counting on you to carry that torch with Integrity and pride.

A professional appearance is just part of the image we portray. When we accept an assignment from a company, we become part of a team that has put in many long and often frustrating hours to bring the loan application to the point it is when it reaches your desk. There could still be logistics to be worked out and documents that still need processing, in other words there is still more to be done to be ready to close. If you have accepted an assignment that is having difficulties ,for whatever reason, keep in mind that as part of the team, you are going to need to be patient and offer to help in solving problems in whatever way you can.  Look for ways to be of assistance in a difficult situation and you will be considered a valuable member of the team. That may mean changing your schedule around to be available when needed, contacting the borrower to keep them informed of the progress being made, or meeting with the borrower late at night after everything is resolved. The attitude of never give up should be a slogan we all live by. If you have accepted an assignment see it through no matter what it takes. Communication and team work will get the job done and serve to make happy repeat clients both for you and your clients.

 Cheryl L. Aerts

www.flnotarysigningagent.com

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