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Who sets Your price, the NNA or YOU?

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jkat

Michigan
15 Posts

Posted - 09/10/2013 : 09:03:45 AM

I just received notice from a title co, whom I have performed many, many signings for, that they only will accept background ck's from NNA; even though they have one from Crim Check. I believe that is why they have not send me any work for a couple of weeks. This is not right!! I have no choice but to get one from NNA.

garyw148

California
14 Posts

Posted - 09/09/2013 : 8:45:07 PM

Well said Harold. To bad so many notaries will work for much less and assumethey will make it up on volume.

Gary Williamson

Lee

Texas
7 Posts

Posted - 09/08/2013 : 3:49:19 PM

Both posts here are very well articulated.
I agree the NNA has determined that they are the only association out there and that they run notaries.
Quote:
"While the NNA is a fine organization (I am certified, bonded, insured, and background screened through it), it is not THEIR place to even give an indication as to what signing fees should be for US."

Very well said. Neither should NNA be the only entity by which notaries are certified, insured/bonded, or background checked. Many notaries have been certified, insured/bonded and background checked with other agencies for many many years, prior. Mandatory purchases or certifications by a certain agency should never be a requirement by any of the hiring agencies across the USA.

Signing agents get notices every week from our current title companies and signing agencies, stating that the notary must be a member, become certified, background checked, license and bonded through a certain association or they will cancelled as a signing agent as of a certain date.

We must stand together to keep signing fees in line with the amount of time, mileage, paper/ink, faxbacks, extra mileage to drop areas, etc. Never ask for less than $100. From the time you receive an assignment, contact the client, wait for docs, print docs, check all requirements for each signing, perform the signing and then travel to and from appointment and drop same day or return after faxbacks....you have been working on the assignment between 4 and 6 hours. Very rarely in the area I service is there ever a signing completed - from start to finish- in less than 4 hours.
Quote from below:
"Ask yourself this, "What is the TRUE value of what YOU do as an NSA?" Are YOU willing to be defined by what others tell you, or would you prefer to define yourself? What are the true value of 'Management' if they take up to half of YOUR pay, balk at having to pay mileage fees, require fax/scanbacks, hold on to YOUR MONEY for a month or more, and will handle the assignments themselves when times get really hard (like they are Now)?"

Many agencies are asking us to take lesser fees......Hiring a professional may cost more...but wait until you hire an amateur.
We must stand together and united.

Lee-AR

Arkansas
678 Posts

Posted - 09/06/2013 : 8:38:03 PM

5. NNA

If you don't value your time and experience, nobody else will.

Harold

Michigan
0 Posts

Posted - 09/06/2013 : 09:38:16 AM

While the NNA is a fine organization (I am certified, bonded, insured, and background screened through it), it is not THEIR place to even give an indication as to what signing fees should be for US.

Whatever your political, or business leanings are, we (the entire group of notaries), have to approach this issue AS IF we were a UNION.
If we don't we will not be successful. I'm not suggesting that we form a union, just use the strategies of one when it is necessary..And it is necessary NOW!

We have three adversaries in this business that are trying to keep us from getting paid properly:

1. The title company - trying to get the maximum profit out of the minimum pay (to us)
2. The "brokers" - feeding off of our collective efforts and trying to justify it (we have the relationships with the title companies, blah, blah, blah,) -WOO WHOO!
3. The borrowers - sometimes you get the feeling that they think that you should be doing this for free because 'the times are so hard'. Really?!

Actually, we have four: OURSELVES

Only we can COLLECTIVELY (sounds like Socialism, huh?) determine what will be the NEW NORMAL price for signings. I would've thought that the folks in California or New York would have the price set at a $100.00 minimum as a starting point for even a 12 page document by now..O well, better late than never.

We as a group, have to stop treating this as a HOBBY or some sideline hustle because that is EXACTLY how we are getting paid. Why do WE have to be 'secret shoppers', or 'business listers/registers' ecetera, to supplement our lack of proper payment for services rendered from these 'brokers' and title companies?

When you hand out your business card, what type of reaction do you get? In the business world, how do you perceive your place in it? Why would an attorney get more respect for what he/she does (and far better pay), when you are:

1. A sworn public official
2. Licensed, Bonded, and Insured
3. Obligated to be unbiased, and ethical in your dealings with the
public (just like they are).

Lawyer/politicians even set our basic rates in the states that we reside in (along with restricting our activities in certain states)

In my opinion, our status is at the same level of car salespeople (of which I have done in the past). Not a nuisance, but more like an 'necessary evil'

Both the title companies and brokers are getting enriched at our expense because we are allowing ourselves to get manipulated by them.

Now think what the title companies and brokers think of us for a moment..(some of you are saying: "but my broker gets me work, and they pay me on time..(yeah, THEIR time, at THEIR rate.) Or: " My title company pays me two weeks after the deal is done, (after they take their discount for paying you directly).

Let me put this out here..Take no less than $100.00 for ANYTHING..PERIOD!

Brokers (who are also Notarys) freely admit that (during this severe dropoff in business), that they are out here doing any and all of the assignments that they are physically able to do..do you think that they are also offering THEIR fellow brokers these assignments outside of their immeadiate area FIRST before we get offered them? Unlike us, maybe they figured out that they would be better served by establishing a private 'broker only' blog in which they could desseminate information like this between themselves without fear of reprisal (no, I have not found this blog yet, but I am searching).

Although I enjoy reading the various postings on this blog and others, I do so with the reality that the very people that we are negotiating against read these same postings to monitor the 'temperature level' of Notarys that contribute to these posts as well. Do I know how organized these entities are, no. Do they have the MEANS to be organised versus the average group of Notarys..well what do YOU think?

Question: Can anyone think of a better way to control and influence the actions of a group of individuals than creating a blog whose stated purpose is to help the group obtain work?

Excuse me I appear to represent the 'paranoid fringe', but after getting this posting pulled (from a blog)for using an analogy that graphically expressed my viewpoint (without using ANY profanity whatsoever,)and being forced to re-edit it, I realized that this is not necessarily a place for me to be free with my thoughts about this issue.

So what the heck, let me try another analogy:

Imagine that WE (as a group), are major league ballplayers.. then we have MANAGEMENT (Brokers), the Owners (Title companies), the Fans (Borrowers), and finally the Press (Blogs).

In this scenario, is it OUR responsibility to keep our fees low? (Look at how profitable that viewpoint has been in the last few weeks)
In doing so, will the 'Fans' benefit, will 'Management' or will the Owners benefit? What is the role of the 'Press', and who are they more aligned with regarding the situation of the 'Players', as it relates to having their pay increased?

Will an increase in pay for us destroy the 'Sport' (title business)? Or will everyone else make the necessary adjustments as "the cost of doing business"?

Here is my 'analysis' of the current state of affairs...

We are in a economic war..We have to take a stand while times are hard so that we can create the leverage that we will need to negotiate an additional increase in our fees when times are good. Remember - "a group that will not STAND for anything will FALL for everything.

Ask yourself this, "What is the TRUE value of what YOU do as an NSA?" Are YOU willing to be defined by what others tell you, or would you prefer to define yourself? What are the true value of 'Management' if they take up to half of YOUR pay, balk at having to pay mileage fees, require fax/scanbacks, hold on to YOUR MONEY for a month or more, and will handle the assignments themselves when times get really hard (like they are Now)?

The position of NSA was created to benefit the title companies in response to past unethical/illegal activities that some of these companies engaged in. By having independent Notarys conduct the signings, the public could be reassured that corrections in the industy were made, and that now everything was now 'above board' as far as signings were concerned, and if a problem occured, all of the blame went to the Notary, and not the title company.

The only problem is that the title companies were allowed to set our fees, and entice other NSAs to act as brokers to reduce the title companies' workload (AT OUR EXPENSE!!)

The good thing is that now that WE know this, WE can now force them to pay us the TRUE VALUE of what we represent to THEM and the ENTIRE INDUSTRY..if only we can as a group can agree on at least a basic fee that is not based on VOLUME OF WORK, but rather, FOR EACH SIGNING PERFORMED.

Ask yourself..Are you in this business to increase the wealth of others, or for yourself? Are you in it to save the 'Fans' money by denying it to yourself? If this comes close to your present mindset, wake up pulllllease!

Read "The Art of War", "Winning Through Intimidation", and look up the definition of the word, "Brinksmanship" If you do not know the elements of the game, how can you play it?

Then let your "broker" or title company know what THE NEW NORMAL IS ALL ABOUT.

Proactively, Assertively, and ARROGANTLY
Yours,
H.D.M.

P.S. THINK ABOUT THE NEEDS OF YOURSELF AND YOUR COLLEAGUES FIRST, BEFORE THE NEEDS OF YOUR ADVERSARIES..OUR SURVIVAL DEFENDS ON IT!

Harold

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