How I Became a Notary Signing Agent Making $200 an Hour As a Side Gig

• Andrea Morgan is a 22-year-old notary signing agent who makes as much as $200 for a unmarried signing.
• Morgan determined to take a look at notary paintings all through the pandemic as an aspect hustle to lend a hand pay for school.
• She explains learn how to get qualified, the variation between notaries and NSAs, and learn how to get shoppers.

This as-told-to essay is according to a dialog with Andrea Morgan, a 22-year-old scholar and notary signing agent who works in California. It’s been edited for period and readability.

I at first were given into the notary trade all through the pandemic, once I got here throughout a TikTok video of anyone announcing they make $150 an hour as a notary signing agent. I might by no means heard of anything else like that earlier than and had 0 revel in earlier than I determined to appear into it.

I am a full-time faculty scholar, so this has been a fairly low-lift facet hustle that is helped me pay for tuition. I paintings about 16 hours per week, and all I’ve to do is watch an individual signal paperwork and check their id.

I typically make about $150 on reasonable consistent with signing, however probably the most I have ever comprised of a unmarried signing is $200, which handiest took me a couple of part hour.

This is my very best recommendation for turning into a notary signing agent

After doing a little research, I came upon that I needed to turn out to be a notary public first.

A notary signing agent is fairly other from a notary public. We concentrate on actual assets paperwork or mortgage paperwork, and on account of that, we get to fee much more than common notaries. Maximum notary publics can handiest fee what their state handiest permits; we, alternatively, can rather fee no matter we see are compatible.

To get began, glance to your Secretary of State’s site or consult with the Nationwide Notary Affiliation’s site. Make a selection your state and browse all the necessities and {qualifications} required to turn out to be a notary public first, after which a notary signing agent. 

In sure states, referred to as “legal professional states” or “no-escrow states,” in-house notaries care for the record signings versus notary signing brokers like myself. New York, for instance, is an legal professional state, whilst California is an escrow state.

Changing into a notary public in California is slightly tougher than in different states. In maximum states, you’ll be able to simply move down on your county clerk’s place of business and say, “I would like the appliance to be a notary” — it is just about so simple as that. In California, it’s a must to take a direction, move an examination, and transparent a background test to turn out to be a notary public. 

It handiest took me $1,600 to begin my trade as an authorized notary signing agent

When I was a notary public, I needed to turn out to be an authorized notary signing agent.

In California, it isn’t necessary to have skilled coaching to turn out to be a notary signing agent, however I extremely advisable it. Then, it’s a must to whole a background test during the Nationwide Notary Affiliation.

I took a $497 direction referred to as the Mortgage Signing Machine from Mark Wills, who ended up being my mentor. It took about two weeks and it was once extremely useful for a amateur, particularly when it got here to discovering shoppers.

When I took that direction, I used to be off finishing my first signing. You do not want a faculty level — there are 18-year-olds recent out of highschool who turn out to be notary signing brokers.

My startup prices to turn out to be a notary signing agent, together with the provides and fabrics I had to run my trade, had been round $1,600 in overall, and it was once 100% value each penny. I made my startup prices again inside two weeks of signing. 

How a lot time a signing takes depends upon the paperwork we are running with — if anyone’s purchasing a house, promoting a house, doing a opposite loan refinance, and so forth. Maximum signings take round half-hour to an hour. However I have made $150 for a signing that is taken me 5 mins. 90 p.c of the time, they happen on the signers house, and in a different way they will be in a public position like a neighborhood Starbucks or park.

Notary signing brokers most often get trade in two techniques

We discover paintings via signing provider trade and direct consumer trade.

On reasonable, I am getting extra trade via signing products and services — which might be middlemen between notary signing brokers and escrow or name officials — than via direct consumer trade not too long ago. 

You’ll be able to actually Google “notary signing products and services close to me” to seek out them, however there also are common platforms that notary signing brokers use, similar to SigningOrder, Snapdocs, and Notary Rotary. 

When I am getting booked via a signing provider, it most often is going like this: They touch me and ask if I am to be had to behavior a signing. If I’m, they both ask for my charge or give me a bunch and ask if I am ok with it. That quantity typically falls anyplace between $75 and $200.

My subsequent step is to print out the vital paperwork once they ship them over. Relying at the signing, those paperwork vary from 100 to 200 pages. Additionally they supply me with directions that explain what form of pen to make use of, what colour ink to make use of, what identity I’m going to wish to deliver, and extra.

Subsequent, I’m going to undergo every web page that they ship me and ensure the whole thing is right kind. Refinancing or opposite mortgages typically take from 45 mins to an hour, paperwork that contain purchasing or promoting a house typically take 30-40 mins, and deed signings can take not up to quarter-hour. After some time, you turn out to be very conversant in the paperwork and it turns into 2d nature.

After that, I’m going to verify the appointment time and site, and move meet with the signer. For each unmarried record, I’ve to indicate to the name of the record, give a short lived description, and level the place to signal and date — and that’s the reason it.

I like to recommend taking it a step additional and reserving shoppers without delay

Beginning out with signing products and services is superb for the start degree, however I like to recommend seeking to e-book direct shoppers as soon as you are feeling relaxed advertising your self — other people like escrow officials, name officials, and actual property brokers. Now not handiest do you receives a commission extra, however you get to construct relationships with shoppers, so they are much more likely to e-book you once more someday.

There are a couple of techniques to seek out shoppers. Each time you land a reserving via a signing provider, each mortgage package deal contains the touch data of the escrow officer or mortgage officer. I typically touch them myself and say one thing like:

“Whats up, I am Andrea, the notary signing agent that will likely be running together with your consumer. I simply sought after to introduce myself. In the event you or the signer have any questions or want any further products and services down the road, please let me know.” 

Otherwise is to stroll proper into an escrow place of business or a mortgage place of business and introduce your self. Unusually, numerous notaries do not understand they may be able to do that. After I meet with other people head to head, they are nearly at all times pleasantly shocked, and I feel it is helping identify a connection.

Now, other people achieve out without delay to me moderately frequently as a result of I have constructed relationships with shoppers and officials from earlier signings. I in truth were given my first signing with an immediate consumer; they discovered me on signingagent.com, which is a platform during the Nationwide Notary Affiliation that routinely lists each qualified notary signing agent in a given house. 

The customer is in a position to take a look at my credentials, learn my bio, and spot that I’ve a certified headshot. I requested her why she selected me, and she or he mentioned, “Neatly, it was once on account of your bio, which had the whole thing I sought after to listen to — you famous that you are a problem-solver and indexed which paperwork you might be conversant in. You additionally defined the average errors that notary signing brokers make and assured that the ones errors would possibly not occur.” 

There are alternative ways notaries could make themselves stand out. Appearing gratitude is a large one — put across that you are appreciative of the trade that the escrow officer or signing provider proprietor is offering you. Appearing a bit appreciation, even bringing lunch or a cup of espresso to an escrow officer, can move a ways. They are very busy other people and rarely have time to get out in their chairs all through the day. 

At first, do not hyperfocus at the money

My function to start with was once to community to construct original relationships and achieve as a lot wisdom in regards to the activity as imaginable. I like to recommend taking as many signings as you’ll be able to within the early levels earlier than elevating your charge considerably. 

My price began out round $45 an hour, and about 3 months in, I felt assured sufficient to begin elevating my charges. Signing provider house owners and escrow officials spotted and had no factor with it.

In case you are simply getting began, I like to recommend having a look into notary-specific assets and platforms. To control my budget, I exploit a platform referred to as Notary Device that makes accounting and sending invoices a lot more uncomplicated. To stay observe of selling, I exploit a spreadsheet to stay myself arranged, and I additionally use Google Calendar to plot out all of my signings.

I used to be surprised at how a lot money I am getting paid for doing, in my view, an especially simple activity

During this adventure, I needed to repeatedly remind myself to get out of the worker mindset. In terms of operating a trade, you put on each hat, and companies have their ups and downs — I do not beat myself up for no longer assembly my monetary function each unmarried month. 

So long as you meet your state’s necessities, any person can do that. I see other people turning it from an aspect hustle right into a full-blown occupation always, and that’s the reason what I unquestionably plan on doing after I graduate this spring.

In the event you’ve effectively created a secondary or passive source of revenue flow and wish to proportion your tale, electronic mail Dorothy Cucci at dcucci@insider.com.