The last 4 years in real estate have been pretty discouraging to say the least.  In the beginning I was so excited.  I gave it my all.  I did the work.  I did the time, spent a whole lot of money, and put a lot of energy into my career as a real estate agent.  I felt like I was climbing mountains only to slide back down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the real estate market started to go downhill, I began focusing on my small business as a Mobile Notary/Loan Document Signing Agent.  I have bills to pay you know.

I seriously thought about throwing in the towel because let's face it, it's not easy out there right now.  However, after a lot of consideration, I decided to renew my real estate license again for another 4 years.  I am not giving up!

This is one of the most interesting sites I have ever seen.  You can see newspaper headlines from all over the world.  The Newseum displays these daily newspaper front pages in their original, unedited form. Some front pages may contain material that is objectionable to some visitors. Viewer discretion is advised.

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/
 

Just put your mouse on a city and the newspaper headlines pop up.  Double click and the page gets larger.

This site changes everyday with the publication of new editions of the paper. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
 
 

One of the best ways to increase your notary business would be to advertise, advertise, advertise!  Get your name out there as much as possible.

You can do this by adding your profile on major notary directories (i.e.notaryrotary.com and 123notary.com are just a couple); traditional advertising (i.e. handing out business cards, cold calls, etc.); your own website definitely helps; and you can also use pay per click advertising on Google and Yahoo Search Marketing.

Much success to all!

In addition to the $10 per signature a mobile notary charges to notarize a document at a California jail, prison or detention center, mobile notaries also charge additional fees for their services, such as travel fees, etc. 

For instance, at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, California, they allow notaries and attorneys only during the weekdays. If the inmate's original photo identification (such as a driver's license or passport) is available for the notary to examine, a notarization can be done during a weekday for a lot less because the notary can usually get in and out within an hour. 

However, if the inmate's photo ID is NOT available, then two credible witnesses who have IDS and can positively identify the inmate can go into the facility with the notary on the weekend and wait in a long line for at least 3-4 hours.  Of course, this will be more costly.  Note:  The two witnesses who may be used cannot have an interest in the transaction or be named in the document being notarized.

Using a notary who has years of experience, has performed numerous notarizations at prisons and detention centers, knows the best times to visit, and is familiar with notary laws, will save a lot of time, frustration and money in the long run. 

It's better to get the job done right the first time rather than finding out later the document that was notarized is invalid and you have to pay another notary to go back and do it all over again.

The IRS has recently changed the standard mileage rate write-off for miles driven from July 1 through December 31, 2008 Due to Gasoline price increases.

Assuring a signer whose signature is being acknowledged understands the document and is signing the document willingly is an essential function of a notary taking an acknowledgment.

 

It was recommended by the American Society of Notaries that notaries should perform a verbal ceremony for either an ACKNOWLEDGMENT or oath/affirmation (JURAT). "Acknowledged" means a notary heard the client reply "yes" or "I do" (or other similar words) to questions posed during the notarization. "Sworn to or affirmed" means the notary "performed a verbal ceremony for an oath or affirmation and heard the client reply in the affirmative as to the truthfulness of the document.

Even if your state hasn't implemented a law regarding the use of cell phones while driving, you'll be sure to get a laugh out of this one! Everyone should know about the new law in California by nowwhich became effective 7/1/08. There have certainly been enough blogs on the subject. This video is hilarious and I wanted to share it. Enjoy and please..... Drive safely!


Hands Free Safe Drivers - Watch more free videos

Since so many of us use these devices on a daily basis, I thought I'd pass this info along.  It's from a Wells Fargo Bank newsletter:

"Cell phones and smartphones are now being increasingly used to spread viruses and steal personal information.

One key sign you're opening yourself up to a virus is the receipt of a multimedia message (MMS) with a compelling header from a sender you don't recognize. Once you open the message, the sender can install malware on your phone that can freeze your screen, corrupt the information stored on your phone (e.g., "eat" your contact lists) and even send your personal information to other users and download premium services you never asked for, like dialers and tunes, from your service provider. The virus can also send a malicious MMS to all the contacts in your phone book and to any bluetooth or other wireless service-enabled mobile phone.

Bluetooth-enabled phones in particular can be attacked and hacked in several ways. "Bluejacking," for example, allows someone to send you a message up to 248 characters long without permission. "Bluesnarfing" exploits security holes in certain phone models to obtain personal information from your phone and "bluebugging" lets a scammer place and execute files on your phone.

If you want to stop these threats to your cell phone or smartphone, start by asking your provider what they're doing to keep your information and data-anything transmitted on their servers-safe. You can also take steps to protect yourself. Antivirus solutions are available for your cell phone or smartphone from a number of security experts."

 

Want to know how you can get a free headset for your cell phone?  With the new cell phone law in effect as of 7/1/08, you'll need one in California!  Check out http://www.freeheadset.org/home.php.  They have some decent headsets that you can buy for free (yes you heard that right!) and some good deals on more high-end versions.  A colleague of mine recently bought one for a total of $3.97 (shipping only).  Can't beat that!

  

 

 

Last week, Yahoo started offering free e-mail accounts under two new designations in an effort to attract Web surfers. You can now get new email addresses under the domains of "ymail" and "rocketmail."  I already got a couple (i.e. xxxx@ymail.com.  You can get more than one too ... for free!)  To learn more about it read the fully story at  http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080619/tec_yahoo_mail.html