I got a call around 6:30 yesterday evening.  It was from a title company here in Colorado.  They wanted me to do a short-notice eSigning. The signing agent who was scheduled to do it had a medical emergency. Unfortunately I couldn't do it at the time because I was actually sitting in a closing.

Then coincidentally this morning I received The Title Report Daily in my email.  The subject line read: 'Cashing in on the paperless explosion'

I don't subscribe, so I wasn't able to read the full text.  But from what I was able to gather, it said that a Maryland-based company is positioning itself for the market to make a dramatic shift to paperless closings, and that this shift would occur in 2010.  The company mentioned was 'eSettlement Solutions'.

I didn't really have to read the full text to know that eSignings are a reality -- now.  I have already done them.  And I would have done another one last night, if I weren't already in a closing.

Somehow I was reminded of that scene from the movie, The Graduate, in which Mr. McGuire told Ben that he had just one word that he wanted to say: "Plastics ... There's a great future in plastics. ..."  And as I look around my house, it's easy to see that Mr. McGuire was right.  Plastics have become the material of choice for so many products.

If Mr. McGuire were in real estate settlement services instead, perhaps that one word would have been 'eSignings'.  It's too early to tell.  But eSignings are a reality.  And if that call I got last night is any indication, more and more companies are jumping on the eSign bandwagon.

What does this mean for notary signing agents?  It means that, if you are interested in doing eSignings, then equip yourselves to do them, and get the necessary training, which isn't difficult.

Perhaps in the near future, someone will be making the recommendation: 'eSignings. There's a great future in eSignings.'

Good luck