Colorado Springs Notary - Leon Austin

If your closing is being conducted by a notary signing agent, there is much that borrowers can do to prepare themselves to ensure that the closing will go more smoothly.

• Have contact information for your loan officer: The first thing that borrowers must understand is that the notary signing agent does not work for the lender or title company. Notary signing agents are independent contractors who work for many different companies, and sometimes several different lenders in one day.  In many cases the notary signing agent has received the loan documents just an hour prior to the closing, so their knowledge of your loan is limited to the information that is in the loan documents themselves.  Therefore, have a phone number for your loan officer handy so that, if there are any specific questions you have regarding your loan terms, funding, etc., you have someone to whom you can direct those questions.
• 3-day right to cancel: If you have a 3-day right to cancel, it will reduce the amount of time that your closing takes if you use those 3 days to read your documents more closely, get answers to any additional questions you have, resolve any issues, etc.  It isn't necessary to spend the time reading every word of every document. There is a lot that can be accomplished during those 3 days. Errors can be corrected, problems resolved, etc.
• Identification: In most cases it will be necessary to provide a photocopy of your ID (i.e. driver's license) to be sent back with the loan documents. This is something that you can do in the days leading up to the closing. On the subject of identification, make sure that you have at least 2 forms of ID that are current. There is usually a form that the notary signing agent has to complete that requires the information from 2 forms of ID. Some of the forms that are acceptable are a passport, military ID, birth certificate, social security card, valid voter registration card, employee ID, ... to name a few.
• Cash due from you:  If there is money that you will have to pay at closing, be prepared. Know the amount, and know to whom the check should be made out to. Also know what form of payment is acceptable. A personal check may not be acceptable.
• Cash to you: If you have money coming to you, decide in advance how you want to receive it. Have your bank account information handy, and possibly a voided check. You will usually have a choice to receive the funds through the mail, by overnight delivery, or have them wired to your bank account.
• Stipulations: There may be additional information that you will need to provide on closing day. Get with your loan officer to find out if you will have to provide insurance information, homeowner's association information, etc.  In short, find out all of the things you will need to have on closing day. Not only will this ensure that your loan can fund on time, it reduces the amount of time that your closing will take.
• Potential problems: Let the notary signing agent know of any potential problems. For example, if you are physically challenged in any way, be sure to mention it. There are many ways in which he or she can do to make the signing process a lot easier for you.  If the signing will be in a location that doesn't have adequate furniture or lighting, this is something that you can mention too. In other words, don't hesitate to let the notary signing agent know of any potential problems. It lets them know how they should prepare.
• Statement of Information: Sometimes there will be a form included in the loan documents that asks for a lot of information from you, such as dates of residence, employment, marital history, nearest relative, etc. Try to have this information handy in case you have to fill out this form.
• Finding the location: The notary signing agent needs to know how to get to the location. Usually they will have located the address using a locator tool, but not all addresses can be found. So be prepared to give the signing agent directions.  If you live in a gated community, let them know how to gain access. If it's a business, let them know the name of it, office number, etc. Usually the only information the signing agent has is an address. It also helps if you can give a brief description of the location, or any landmarks.  If it's in a rural area, knowing the mile markers where they should slow down or turn is a big help.
• Contacting you: Make it easier for the signing agent to contact you. Provide a cell phone number if you have one so that if they do experience any problems, they have a way of getting in touch with you.
• Cooperation:  Try to understand that the notary signing agent has a difficult job to do.  He or she may ask you to sign the documents in a certain way, or give you some other instructions.  These are usually instructions that have come directly from the lender. You might want to sign using your favorite ink pen. But if it's the wrong color ink, don't be offended if you have to use the one provided to you. There may be other things that will be requested of you. The signing agent will also want to spend some time after you have signed all of the documents so that they can review them to make sure that everything has been signed properly. This usually takes just a few minutes. The signing agent is only doing their job, and doing the best they can to ensure that your loan closing goes as smoothly as possible.

That, in a nutshell, is why notary signing agents do what they do.  We want to make your closing as convenient and comfortable for you as possible, and ensure that everything goes smoothly.

If there is one book that every notary should own it's a Notary Law Primer. These are indispensable tools that contain just about everything a notary needs to know.

The title would lead one to  believe that these have only to do with notary law. They are actually a whole lot more.

Using the Colorado Notary Law Primer as an example, it contains the following chapters:

• How to Become a Colorado Notary Public
• Tools of the Trade
• 10 Most-Asked Questions
• Steps to Proper Notarization
• Notary Laws Explained
• Test Your Knowledge
• Colorado Laws pertaining to Notaries Public
• Office of the Colorado Secretary of State
• County Clerks' Offices
• Bureaus of Vital Statistics
• Hague Convention Nations

The heart of the book is the section, 'Notary Laws Explained'. It goes into Colorado notary law in more detail, defining the acts that a Colorado notary can perform, things that a notary is unauthorized to do, the various types of notarizations, practices and procedures, ... in short, everything a notary needs to know.

The 'Test Your Knowledge' section is a good way to see how well you have learned the material. And the answers are provided so that you can see how you did.

The section on 'Colorado Laws Pertaining to Notaries Public' contains all of the Colorado Revised Statutes as they pertain to notaries. This latest edition came out in 2004. Some of the notary laws have changed since then, so you will want to check to make sure that the laws in your book are current. Visit the Colorado Secretary of State website.

The real beauty of this reference work is that it is compact enough that you can carry it wherever you go, and refer to it whenever you have a question. And you might want to have it spiral bound, as I did. It's perfect bound, so the pages will eventually come out if you refer to it very often.

The Notary Law Primers are published by the NNA. Presently they are only available for 26 states. I contacted the NNA and asked why there was not a Notary Law Primer for all of the states. I was told that they have the ultimate goal of creating law primers for all the states, which is good news. These are very good resources. I was told that, in the last four years they have added Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Virginia.

** States for which there is a notary law primer available:

Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington

Before I became a notary signing agent, I was a college German instructor. I did that for 20 years. A lot of things became a habit, such as preparation. Anyone who has taught in a classroom will tell you that it's a lot of work. It takes an incredible amount of preparation. You're like an actor who has to rehearse lines before going on stage, because, when you're in the classroom, that's exactly what it's like. You have to keep your audience -- the students -- amused, interested, and captivated, for more than an hour. You want to know exactly what you're going to say, and how you're going to say it. When you leave to go home, you're sometimes walking in a stupor, because you're so exhausted.

Preparing means, not only rehearsing your presentation, but also preparing for the unexpected -- all of the possible questions that the students might ask. They're very curious, aren't they?  If I gave a slide presentation I tried to know as much as possible about everything in that slide. You never know what questions a student will ask.

I try to prepare just as well when I do a closing. In those rare cases when I get the documents a day in advance, I'll have a chance to print them all out and go over them. I check to make sure that there are enough copies of the Right to Cancel. Is there anything I want to bring to the attention of the title company? These are the kinds of things that can make the difference between having a smooth closing, or the borrower refusing to sign.  I had a purchase transaction last week. I arrived about 20 minutes ahead of time. So I stopped just before turning the corner and sat in the car. I went over the documents again. It was a good thing, because there were about 4 questions that I had. I called the title company and got the answers.  I wanted to be prepared, just in case the borrowers had any questions.  I also try to prepare how I will present the documents. What will I say? What should I not say? What if they ask ...? Etc.

I'm sure it's the same with all of the rest of you real estate professionals. When you're showing a house, speaking with a client, or whatever: you want to be prepared. It's a bit like going on stage, isn't it?

2005 Update

by Doris Barrell, GRI, DREI

Real Estate Finance Today is an introduction to residential real estate financing. It is published by Dearborn Real Estate Education.

I wanted a book that would be a good introduction to residential real estate financing, and one that would be ideal for self study. As with all books published by Dearborn Real Estate Education, it exceeded my expectations. Doris Barrell did an excellent job of writing this book. It is very well organized, and the information is presented in a clear and concise manner.

The book is divided into  6 chapters and contains an Appendix:

• Chapter 1: Basics of Real Estate Finance
• Chapter 2: Government Influences on Real Estate Finance
• Chapter 3: Current Trends in Mortgage Lending
• Chapter 4: Conventional Mortgage Loans
• Chapter 5: Government Insured or Guaranteed Loans
• Chapter 6: Special Financing Alternatives

Each chapter begins with a set of learning objectives that are clearly defined. You know what you can expect to learn. There is also a glossary of key terms that will be used in the chapter.  At the end of each chapter there are review questions to test your knowledge. An answer key is provided at the back of the book.  The Appendix contains several worksheets, for example Calculating Monthly Mortgage Payment.

This book gets you up to speed very quickly, and gives you the skills needed to perform all sorts of real estate finance calculations.

I removed all of the pages from the book, punched holes in them, and put them in a ring binder so that I could add more pages. The pages are perforated, so this was easy to do. I inserted a pocket to store my calculator and manual.

I wasn't sure what type of finance calculator to buy. I had heard good things about the Qualifier Plus IIIfx, but I ended up buying the hp 10bII.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone wanting a good starting point in residential real estate finance.

Sanzo Specialties

I can't remember ever getting a call for notary services late at night on a Saturday. Usually if there is a closing to do, I'll get the call in the early afternoon. So it came to me as a bit of a surprise when I got a call last night at around 10:15 p.m. The man had a Release and Assumption of Risk document that he urgently needed notarized before 5 a.m. the next morning. He said it was part of his application for the fire department. There were no businesses open. No other place to go to get it notarized. For him, it was almost an emergency. He needed a mobile notary. 

I wrote down his address, looked it up on a map locator to see how long it would take me to get there, and told him I'd be there in a half an hour. I wore a suit and tie. You never know who you'll meet, and you always want to make a good impression. Not just for yourself, but for all mobile notaries. There's still an element of trust that has to be gained. There are still some people who would feel more comfortable going into an office, with a notary seated behind a desk.  I printed out the directions, grabbed my briefcase, and was on my way.

I am totally convinced that there is a bright side to everything. Even that late on a Saturday night. I saw a neighborhood of Colorado Springs that I had never seen before.  It was up on a hill, overlooking the city.  You could see the lights of the city, and the Rockies in the background. It looked like a postcard. After a series of winding roads, I arrived at his house at around 11. I was immediately greeted by his dog who wanted to play with the guest.  He was jumping up and down on me almost the whole time.  I love dogs, so that was another bright side to it. It only took a few minutes to notarize the document and I was on my way.  He was extremely grateful, and showed it by adding a little extra to the fee.

On the way back, I couldn't help but feel good. I don't know just how critical this document was, and whether it meant the difference between him getting hired or not. I just know that he needed it done by 5 a.m. the next day, and there was no other way to get it done. I was glad that I could help. And hopefully I left him with a positive image of the mobile notary.

But most of all, I hope he gets the job.

A Complete Reference on Notarial Laws and Procedures in America

This is an excellent reference work that deserves to be on the shelf of every notary public. It was written by Peter J. Van Alstyne and published by the Notary Law Institute. It is informative, scholarly, interesting, and enlightening.

It is written like a dissertation, complete with footnotes and references, yet reads like prose. Once you start reading it, it's hard to put it down. Subjects that are just touched on in most notary manuals are explained in great detail. It cites many cases and references, and covers many issues such as impartiality, unauthorized practice of law, attorneys as notaries, and much more. Both the notary public and the notary signing agent will find much useful information in the section on notarial certificates.

Notary Law Institute

I started my business on a shoestring. Looking back on the equipment I started with, compared with what I'm using now, I can see just how important it is to have the right equipment. A couple of days ago I had to fax back 25 documents for a closing assignment. It was almost a pleasure. When I first started, I would have been cursing. So I'll start with that.

Fax machine: Brother Intellifax 2820. Laser. There are more expensive fax machines with a lot more features, but this one does everything I need it to do. And it does it well. If there aren't enough copies of the Right to Cancel, instead of going back into the file to print them out, I can make copies with the fax machine. It holds letter and legal size paper.  It also serves as a printer.

Printer: You could probably do without one, if all of the jobs you did entailed having the documents overnighted to you or the borrower. But not for long. At some point you will have to do e-docs. And they have to be laser. I use the HP 1320t. Again, there are higher priced printers, but this is really all the printer I need to get the job done. It has 2 trays for printing on letter and legal size paper. It's simple to operate and maintain. And it has sufficient memory for handling any printing job you'll encounter.

Computer: No need for a home theater. Just one that has sufficient speed and memory, and can run the latest software, including all of the document printing utilities. I'm still using Windows XP Pro.

High speed internet connection: You could probably get by with dial-up. But not for long, if you're doing e-docs. The files are just too large.

Software: Most of the printing utilities are available for download at the time you receive the documents. You will also want to have software for maintaining your system (i.e. virus protection, routine system maintenance, etc.). For a long time I used Excel for accounting. I have QuickBooks now, but still use Excel for some tasks.

Cell phone: A matter of personal preference. I don't need a phone for listening to music or watching movies. I just want a good phone that will make and receive phone calls. And one that has a speaker. It comes in handy when you're in a closing and the borrower has a question. You can call the company, set the phone on the table, and everyone can hear what is being said.

Office supplies: Paper, toner cartridges, folders, envelopes, binder clips, shipping supplies, etc. Toner refill supplies, if you decide to refill your toner cartridges. I buy paper by the case at Sam's Club. I usually stock at least 2 cases of legal and letter size paper at all times.

Shredder: No explanation needed.

Notary supplies: Notary seal, journal, loose certificates, ink, etc. It's not a bad idea to have a backup seal. I have an ink stamp and embosser. I'm considering getting a pocket stamp.

A briefcase or bag to carry all of these items. It would be nice if we could store all of these things in drawers and file cabinets. But we're road warriors, so we have to carry it all.

All-in-one printer, scanner, fax, copier: There isn't much that needs to be said about the versatility of this machine. I have a basic machine: the HP Officejet 5610. It comes in handy for scanning a document and convert it to PDF. I have also taken it to closings to make photocopies of IDs for the borrower.

e-fax: A good service to have for receiving confirmations, revised documents. etc. I currently use K-7, although I intend to upgrade sometime in the near future.

Digital camera: This comes in handy for those times when the borrower doesn't have a photocopy of their ID.

PDA: Palm, Blackberry, etc. It's a matter of preference. It's a good tool for staying organized, and enables you to be more productive. I use a Palm T|X. The built in Wi-Fi is useful for sending and receiving email, getting driving directions with MapQuest, etc. I can also transport Word and Excel documents to it. It has a lot of other nice features. And if I did want to watch movies or listen to music, I could do it with my Palm.

Voice recorder: Preferably digital. We work with enough paper. So a lot of times I will take notes with a voice recorder.

Laptop computer: Most people own a laptop already. Having a mobile office is beyond the scope of this post. I'll talk more about that later.

2nd laser printer: It's good to have a backup. It can also be used if you decide to have a mobile office.

Portable table: I have been in several situations in which a portable table came in handy. I'm scheduled to do a reverse mortgage closing in the near future. I already know that the borrower doesn't have a table, so I'll bring a portable table. It's also useful when you do signings for borrowers who are bedridden. It has many uses in the office too.

Spotlight (halogen): Preferably one with 2 lamps. This device has been a life saver. I use it for seeing street signs, house numbers, etc. If you travel in rural areas a lot at night, it's a must. There are places here in Colorado where the only lights you have are the stars.

There are a lot of other things such as charging devices for cell phones and PDA, cleaning equipment, etc. I recently bought a Dirt Devil portable vacuum for cleaning my computer equipment and printers.

One last piece of equipment that you will certainly want to have: a car.

Good luck.

The Pikes Peak region of Habitat for Humanity will be having its 5th annual Hike for Habitat. It will be held on Saturday, June 16th.

The purpose of the hike is to raise support for the Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity's local efforts to build affordable houses for low-income families in El Paso County, Colorado.

The 4-mile hike begins and ends at the picnic pavillion near the pool in Monument Valley Park at 170 W. Cache La Poudre. The start time is 10:00 a.m.

Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. You can pre-register by calling (719) 475-7800. You can register as an individual, or as a team. Tickets are $25.00 per person. There is no charge for children under 12. Each participant will receive a T-shirt and lunch. Lunch will be served after the hike.  There will also be entertaiinment.

Hikers are encouraged to raise donations from family and friends. Donations are used to provide a safe and stable home for a deserving family.

Habitat for Humanity - Colorado

Thank you.

Not only do we have challenging places in which to do the closings. There are also challenging situations: doing closings for people who are physically challenged. They can be, at the same time, the most difficult and the most rewarding.  I say rewarding because, it gives us a good feeling when we know that we have really provided a convenience to the borrower, and done something for them that they otherwise would not have been able to do.

One example was a closing I did in the town of Calhan. The house is literally in the middle of nowhere. At the time I made the confirmation call, I asked the borrower if it would be possible to provide a photocopy of his ID. He said, he'll try. But it won't be easy, because he doesn't drive anymore.  When I got to the home the next day, I realized what he meant.  There was a long ramp instead of stairs. He was confined to a wheelchair.

Closing for the visually impaired is something else that we are prepared to do. I did a closing for a woman who could see, but she was legally blind. The biggest challenge was helping her find the line where she needed to sign, and to keep her from signing where she shouldn't sign. There were times when she would come close to signing on top of her husband's signature.  I used a combination of ruler and sticky tags to show her where the signature line was. By placing the ruler on the paper underneath the signature line, she knew exactly where she should sign.

It's good if we know about the needs of these people beforehand, because there are so many other ways in which we can help. We may not have the equipment in our car at the time, but we can bring it. Things such as magnifying lamps, portable tables for the bedridden, etc.

There are times when the only thing you can do is simply help as much as you can.  I did a closing for a man with one arm. Simply turning the pages for him, or holding the page down to keep it from sliding was all the help he needed.

We all have many stories like this, and I'd like to hear from some of you other notary signing agents who have been in 'challenging' situations.

"Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle; You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. ... Be water, my friend."

Those are from the words of the late Bruce Lee, who, in addition to being a great martial artist, was a very wise man.

Rain

It can take on many forms, and has many possible shapes.

And that is what I have discovered about ActiveRain. If you use your imagination, it can be so many different things, and it has so many possibilities.

Active

ActiveRain is like a river. Dynamic. Constantly flowing. Constantly evolving. Always covering new ground.

That is the way we want to be in our careers as real estate professionals. And also as a person. Never complacent. Never standing still.

Be Active! Be Rain! ...

"Be water, my friend."