Your Convenience is my Priority!
The Notary Signing Agent business was built on a simple idea: take the closing to the signer instead of requiring the signer to come to the closing.
For many borrowers, taking time off work, arranging childcare, fighting traffic, and sitting in a title office is not the easiest option. Mobile notaries help solve that problem by meeting signers where they are most comfortable—at their kitchen table, their office, a coffee shop, a hospital room, or wherever life happens to be taking place that day.
Title companies do an incredible amount of work behind the scenes, but they are also busy environments. Phones ring constantly. Walk-in customers arrive with questions. Signers sometimes show up early, late, or unexpectedly. Documents need corrections. Schedules change throughout the day. Employees are often juggling multiple closings and putting out fires at the same time.
As a signer myself, I've experienced appointments being moved several times in the same day. I've also heard countless similar stories from borrowers over the years. Traditionally, setting aside an entire day for a closing wasn't unusual because the timeline could change repeatedly.
Mobile notaries help reduce much of that disruption. Instead of asking the signer to rearrange their entire day around the closing process, we bring the closing to them. The signer can often remain at home, stay at work, recover in a hospital room, or continue with their normal routine until it is time to sign.
At its core, that's what this business was founded to do: make the signing process easier, more convenient, and less stressful for the people signing the documents.
Somewhere along the way, someone got the bright idea of waiting until the documents were actually ready and then scheduling an appointment around the convenience and comfort of the signer. Just like that, a whole new industry was born.
Sometimes I see people in the groups ask whether it's okay to insist that signers meet in a public location. In my opinion, that goes against the very reason our business exists. We are supposed to bring the service to them.
That said, there are times when a signer's home simply is not conducive to completing a signing. If there is nowhere to sit and they want to stand at the kitchen counter while signing 100 to 200 pages of documents, I can't accommodate that. In those situations, I may have to suggest moving the signing to the nearest McDonald's, Starbucks, library, or another suitable location.
Sometimes notaries report dealing with overwhelming urine odors, whether from animals or people, cockroaches that are visible everywhere, or even dog and cat waste throughout the home. I once went to a house where there was so much cat waste in the yard and on the walkway that I couldn't reach the front door without getting it on my shoes. Another time, I visited a home that was in such poor condition that I had to pull over on the side of the road afterward because I became physically sick.
We have to strike a balance between serving the signer and looking out for ourselves when necessary. Most of the time, I can tolerate some discomfort because that's part of the job.
Sadly, I can no longer stand for extended periods. Every second I am on my feet, the pain increases. If I attempted to stand through a signing at a kitchen counter, I would pay for it for days afterward. I've done enough of those signings over the years to know exactly what the consequences will be. Today, it's not just uncomfortable—it's simply no longer possible.
The goal should always be to accommodate the signer whenever reasonably possible. After all, that's why this industry was created in the first place. But there are times when a small adjustment is necessary to make sure the signing can be completed safely and effectively for everyone involved.
