Some of my favorite quotes you might have missed....enjoy! - 04/27/08 12:45 PM
 
 Here are some quotes from recent ("A Quick Note") posts you might have missed:
On integrity.... 
I made up my mind, long before entering this line of work, that my work had to represent integrity. In order to do anything well, you have to be able to sleep at night. The hardest challenge a Notary Signing Agent faces is not cutting corners. Especially when faced with an unfortunately large number of requests and the lure of the almighty dollar. My advice to all the new notaries who will listen is: Don't compromise, don't be bullied and always remember your oath.
                                  
On Responsibility....
Prison overcrowding … (11 comments)

Political correctness? (Blah, blah, blah!!!) - 04/24/08 06:56 PM
Previously posted elsewhere by "A Quick Note"    
     Remember when it wasn't a crime to make a profit?....when someone found a recipe for success, you would strive to emulate that behavior so as to have a duplicate result? Better yet, you'd do it better than the other guy, thus raising the bar and challenging others to compete.  If they failed, you rode the wave of success.  If they succeeded, you stepped up your game, so as to rival them once again.  This is the way of a free market economy.  "Lead, follow or get out of the way"-the saying goes. 
It is good … (0 comments)

Adventures of a Notary Signing Agent... - 04/19/08 02:37 PM
Adventures of a Notary Signing Agent...
Previously posted elsewhere by "A Quick Note"
OK, so I arrive at a very modest, older (vintage 1950's) house after dark and the house is dimly lit. I remember I'd just gotten a new prescription for my glasses and my eyes were adjusting to them... Anyways, the lady invites me in and into her living room where we apparently will sign on a coffee table-I refer to this type of signing as a "back-breaker". Again, the room was dimly lit and a light in the corner of the room was just enough to read and see … (5 comments)

I killed a car driving 180k miles in 2 years...all in circles! - 04/18/08 11:26 PM
  Some days lately, it feels like I'm driving an RV from signing to signing.  Especially with gasoline prices for regular unleaded now approaching $4.00 a gallon.  In 2004, I bought a brand new mini Cooper "S"...  I highly recomend this car...it is the most fun you'll ever have behind the wheel of a daily-driver.  It's not bad on gas, at about 30mpg, and quicker than anything in its class, it is just a blast.  Unfortunately, with no room for a spare, one is forced to purchase the "performance" run-flats that are designed specifically for this little mover at about $400 a pop.  Proper … (5 comments)

Ethics...The Golden Rule...and Us, The Notary Signing Agent... - 04/18/08 12:28 PM
Modified from a post made elsewhere by "A Quick Note"
DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN THE DETAILS HERE FOLKS....YOUR STATE (OR YOUR BELIEFS ABOUT CORRECT PROCEDURE) MAY BE DIFFERENT. TRY TO SOAK IN THE BIGGER MESSAGE.....We have all been approached by the last minute Loan Officer, Mortgage Broker or even the occassional Escrow Officer who wants to get the deal done in a hurry. You get through all the preliminaries, Name, Address and Phone and you've agreed to a price and know the deadline. Then comes "Oh, by the way..." or "There's just one more detail..." and it always has the smell … (0 comments)

Notarize it.... 'cuz I said so, that's why!! - 04/17/08 02:02 PM
     I'm a service provider.  Nothing makes me happier than to help a client with their notary needs and to help complete their business documents.  I get frustrated when, like today for example, I receive incomplete documents with blanks.  I kindly instruct my client that the document must be completed prior to notarization especially since this particular document shows dollar amounts and specific, needed dates of other documents.  I also explain that I am not an attorney and neither assist in the wording of nor offer advice as to the content of any incomplete document.  Then, I hear second-hand that a person at the … (16 comments)

Oops! Are your credentials showing? - 04/16/08 07:34 PM
Oops! Are your credentials showing?
Modified from a previous post made elsewhere by "A Quick Note" 
     I recognize that there is a vast difference in the goals, aspirations, education, training and especially the abilities of the professionals who visit this and other similar sites. This seems to be a theme that runs through all such sites. I must say that the constant mindless chatter seems to be less here and that most of the ridiculous posts are being made elsewhere. While this is a benefit to those who enjoy Active Rain, it is also a detractor to the participation of others...because we are … (0 comments)

Notaries put their livelihood and freedom on the line for you... - 04/16/08 04:07 PM
Excerpts from: Amendments and New Laws Effective January 1, 2008 [Notary Handbook-California Secretary of State]
           The certificate of acknowledgment now is executed under penalty of perjury (Civil Code section 1189)           In addition to the background check by the Department of Justice, notary public applicants' fingerprints will be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of a background check. (Government Code section 8201.1)           The notary public journal must contain a notation that the identity of the person making an acknowledgment, or taking an oath or affirmation is based on "satisfactory evidence" and not "personal knowledge" (Government Code section … (2 comments)

Raise your right hand..."do you solemnly swear or affirm that...." - 04/16/08 01:09 AM
Previously posted elsewhere by "A Quick Note" on May 11, 2007
Hey! CA Notaries: Did you administer your oath today?8214.1. The Secretary of State may refuse to appoint any person asnotary public or may revoke or suspend the commission of any notarypublic upon any of the following grounds:............(k) Failure to administer the oath or affirmation as required byparagraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 8205.Why do I feel like the Lone Ranger when I administer the oath or affirmation?Hmmmm....you afraid you may get into heap-big trouble Kimosabee!
Often, those executing a "sworn" statement (affidavit) look upon me as if I've grown three heads … (11 comments)

Notaries...Planning your schedule? Plan to change it too... - 04/12/08 10:36 AM

Originally posted elsewhere by "A Quick Note" on April 15, 2007
As a notary signing agent, we are also master-planners. We take phone calls, set appointments, pick-up and deliver documents, catch FEDEX and UPS trucks, navigate traffic situations while printing docs, while waiting for that fax from escrow, while trying to choke down a quick bite..... Then, the escrow officer calls and the docs are being redrawn with a change and are "coming soon", ......or some IDIOT in an f-350 decides to roll his truck and spill its contents across six lanes of freeway, ....or your borrower calls (if he is a courteous … (13 comments)

What have you done for me lately? - 04/12/08 01:53 AM
What have you done for me lately?
Originally posted elsewhere by "A Quick Note" on June 2, 2007  
     In my former life, I managed fast-food restaurants. The kids who worked for me would ask for raises having done nothing (other than being on the payroll) to earn more compensation. I was often required to give them, what I have since come to describe as "the gum-ball speech". The gum-ball speech, started by reminding them of the commitment they made to show up on time, provide fast friendly service and continue the learning required to become cross-trained and able to work in all the crew … (2 comments)

California Dreamin'.........Don't give the Notary a hard time! - 04/10/08 03:59 PM
Originally posted elsewhere by "A QUICK NOTE" on May 11, 2007
     I ran across another "lawfully challenged" individual (mortgage broker) yesterday. He just wanted to get his deal done and was truly "put off" by my adherence to the law.  Although he didn't cross over the line, he came very close.  I had to shut him down, which I have no problem doing.  But I sometimes wish I had this item printed on a business card...[I imagine myself whipping it from a holster like a sixgun...somewhere behind me I hear the crack of a whip...]
8225. (a) Any person who solicits, coerces, … (2 comments)

No real cure for borrowers fears...only levels of comfort with the process - 04/07/08 07:59 PM
 
In my experience, having conducted over 5,000 signings, borrowers often have trepidation at the signing table.  For the most part, mortgage brokers don't even know that the docs have finally come together from the lender and that escrow has sent me to sign their clients.  After their surprise of my calling them to schedule the signing, for which they had no "heads-up", The next thing that happens is "Sticker-Shock" because the estimated closing statement doesn't match what their broker had originally told them...
                                         
Then, they turn to me... and I am forced to say something like: "I am a notary public and not a … (4 comments)

I'm just a drop of water,...in a river, long and winding... - 04/05/08 09:10 AM
 Playing "office" when I was a kid was always my favorite pastime.  When my friends were excited about sports equipment, toys and games, I was always happiest with a fresh batch of office supplies.  I liked forms and checklists, pens and binder clips.  I was always a CEO or a President and I always had a deadline to meet. 
     One of my favorite photos of my dad showed him (vintage 1963) wearing a dark suit and tie, sitting at a desk, documents in hand and a cigar, perfectly positioned, between his index and middle fingers.  I suppose that photo planted itself deep … (2 comments)

This tape will self-destruct in 10 seconds...or my head will explode... - 04/02/08 11:22 PM
What is the meaning of life?I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you! 
Perhaps the meaning of life is to enjoy the experiences you share with those you love.  How's that? 
 So many of us get wrapped up into our business that we forget how to "download" properly...  Vacations can even be seen as an annoyance.  Imagine! 
I spent the day finalizing an itinerary for a family trip.  We are planning a total of 16 days in June but have split it into three parts.  5 days on the BIG Island celebrating my wedding anniversary.  Then we meet our two kids for 3 … (2 comments)