I got a call yesterday to do a closing in Canon City on Friday. I was in my car, and on my way to a closing, so I wasn't able to determine exactly where the address was located. I told the company that it's about 50 miles away, and that I'd have to charge extra for travel. They were aware of the distance, but said they couldn't find anyone else. We agreed on a fee, based on the approximate mileage, and I accepted the assignment.
When I was finally able to locate the address with Yahoo! driving directions, I saw that the total distance was 47.6 miles. No surprise. What I didn't factor into my fee was the time that it would take to get there: 59 minutes (1 hour). That's a total of 2 hours of driving, plus the time it takes to do the closing: close to 3 hours. Not to mention the time spent on other tasks associated with the closing.
It's not likely that I will get any more money from the company. They are already paying me as much as they can, and it's well over what I normally charge.
Why travel 50 miles to Canon City to do a closing, when I can stay in Colorado Springs and not have to travel more than 10 miles to a closing?
I could have told them, 'pay me more money, or I won't do it.' That's a bad attitude, and a bad way of looking at the situation. There is no one else to do the closing in Canon City.
The title company is in Wheat Ridge. Why not have the borrowers drive 133 miles to do the closing at the title company?
One of the reasons that notary signing agents exist is so that borrowers don't have to do that. We make it possible for them to do the closing in the comfort of their home, or wherever it's most convenient for them. We are in the service business. And you can't always put a price tag on customer service.
So why not charge the borrowers more money in closing costs to cover this kind of convenience?
Aren't they paying enough money already?
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