Colorado Springs Notary - Leon Austin

Crested Butte, Colorado is a mecca for telemark skiers.  I wanted to see for myself what was so special about it. So a few years ago I packed my skis and ski gear and drove to Crested Butte for a day of telemark skiing. It was what I had hoped for. The day just didn't last long enough. I hope to return someday and spend a few days instead of just one.

I got a call to do a closing that would have brought me close. It was for today, in the town of Gunnison.  I drove through Gunnison on my way to Crested Butte, so I knew immediately how long of a drive it is.

Unfortunately I already have 2 closings scheduled today (so far), one at 3:30 p.m. and the other at 7 p.m., so I can't do it. The man said he tried everywhere and couldn't find any signing agents in that area.

Gunnison isn't the only area in need of signing agents. I have been asked to do closings as far as Durango. 

One of the problems is that Colorado is so sparsely populated.  I know of a couple of signing agents in the western part of Colorado who would have made the trip to Gunnison. But there aren't that many. Not as many as you have in places like the Denver area, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo.

I'm sorry I couldn't do the closing. It's a beautiful area. There isn't any skiing in Crested Butte right now, but I could have done some mountain biking -- another thing that Crested Butte is famous for.

You can be sure that, if I drive that far, I won't be in any hurry to get back to Colorado Springs.

I couldn't think of a more suitable title, because that is exactly what I got: 85 pages of waste paper.

I got a call last week to do a simple refinance for today. I downloaded the loan documents this morning. I knew right away that this was more than a simple refi when I saw that there were 223 pages:

Fortunately (or unfortunately) I have been through this enough times to realize that the signing company made a mistake. It's not their fault. They don't always know what kind of loan it is.  I called the signing company and they agreed to increase my fee for doing a 1st and 2nd.

But 223 pages is still a lot of pages for a 1st and 2nd. It's possible. But I was skeptical.  I printed out one set -- the originals to be signed.  I wanted to go through every single page. Usually when I get a 1st and 2nd, I will get 2 sets of documents. So I wanted to see where the 1st loan ended and the 2nd loan began.

The junk begins

I found the settlement statement for the 2nd loan. Following it was the HELOC disclosure. The strange thing was that there were 7 pages of page 1, 7 pages of page 2, ... and so on. There were 8 pages in the disclosure. There were 12 copies of the Right to Cancel. There were duplicates of everything else.

There's no way I'm going to get the borrowers to sit through this.

I called the title company to be sure that I wasn't going to throw away anything important.  I have had companies that wanted 2 Deeds of Trust signed, etc.  It turns out that it was a computer glitch.  And it's not the first time that this has happened. I was told that several signing agents have gotten the same problem.  For some reason the computer goes wild and just starts spitting out more pages of a document than is required.  So I sorted through the waste. I set aside an original to be signed, and a borrower's copy, and discarded the rest.

The good thing is that I didn't have to print out a set of borrower's copies.  So the lesson here is, when in doubt, read everything before printing out the borrower's copies.  I have also gotten loans where the lender included the borrower's copies with the set.

But still, after sorting through all of the 223 pages that I printed, there were 138 pages that were good. 85 pages that I will end up shredding.

I sure hope they get that computer fixed.

The Notary Law Institute offers live seminars, and they will be held in various parts of Colorado in the month of September. For more information, go to: Training Seminars : Colorado at the Notary Law Institute website.

If you can't attend one of these seminars, then the next best thing to being there is the Notary Law Self-Study Course.  For a review of the course, see: Notary Public Procedures, Laws & Common Sense

Colorado is not the only state in which these seminars are held. Visit the Notary Law Institute website, and click on the Live Seminars tab to see when a seminar will be held in your area.

These seminars are not just for new notaries. Experienced notaries can benefit from them as well. Also, you get a one-year membership in the Notary Law Institute, and a subcription to the periodical The Notary. Each issue has information that is vital to notaries and notary signing agents.

A few months ago I purchased the Samsonite business case, model # 935235, and wrote a topic about it (One case for everything. It was basically a product review. I hadn't really used it enough to see just what a remarkable product it is.

I had a chance last week, and I took some pictures to give you an idea how suitable this bag is for notary signing agents and other real estate professionals.

Getting organized.

The feature I like most about this bag is that there are so many compartments.  This is something that I have not found in any other case that I have used.

Many times I will have to attend two or more closings in a row. This bag allows me to carry everything in one bag.  In this compartment I have 2 sets of loan documents (134 pages and 139 pages), including 2 sets of borrower's copies (brown envelopes).  These are legal size folders and envelopes. There is also room to carry the legal size FedEx envelopes. 

If you prefer, this compartment is large enough to carry a laptop computer. In fact, there is an additional bag that comes with this case that you can use to carry a laptop. You can carry it separately, or fit it inside the case.

There is a large compartment in the rear that can serve as an overnight bag, although I use it to store my notary stamps, and umbrella. That umbrella has come in handy on many occasions. There is also a mesh compartment that can carry clothing items. I also have a small bag that I carry that contains my digital camera, PDA, digital voice recorder, and some other items. It too fits in this compartment.

In the front of the bag are compartments to hold notary certificates, maps, pens, writing pad, receipt book, etc.
I can't imagine any other way of carrying the things I need to do notary signing agent work. 

If Samsonite asked notary signing agents to design the perfect bag for them, this is surely what they would have come up with.

I had a closing last Friday, 40 miles away in Pueblo. The borrower's father was there so that he could go over the figures with his daughter. He wanted to make sure that she was getting a deal that would benefit her. He said that he is an investment counselor.

The first comment that he made was, "Why are we doing it this way?" He wanted to know why the closing wasn't being done at the title company.  I explained to him the role of the notary signing agent, and let him know that this is done as a convenience to the borrower. Rather than his daughter having to drive 40 miles to Colorado Springs, the closing is brought to her. She is not at a disadvantage. If there are any specific questions about the loan terms we can call the loan officer.

The first document that I go over with the borrower is the HUD settlement statement. Immediately there were problems. The father wanted to know, "Why is this fee so high?" "Why is she paying for this?"  He is also concerned that her monthly payments will still be too high. He said that the whole point of refinancing was to lower the payments. This was not happening.  There were a few other things that he didn't like about the loan.

He called the loan officer and they spoke for several minutes. I was already getting the impression that the father was not going to let his daughter sign the documents. He mentioned waiting until September, when the rates go down.  The loan officer didn't seem to be able to offer anything that would resolve the situation that day.  I was prepared to re-print the HUD settlement statement right there. This was beyond revising the HUD.  This was not going to happen.

I did all that I could do.  I had gone over the documents the day before and knew enough about them to find any information or numbers the borrower wanted to see. I reminded them of the 3-day right to cancel. But this was a no-win situation. The father made it clear that this was something that could not be resolved in 3 days. I called the title company while I was at the table and let them speak to the escrow officer.  But again, these were matters that only the loan officer could resolve. Or in this case, could not resolve.

There were no hard feelings. I respected the decision of the father. And he realized that it would not have been any more beneficial to close at the title company.  That is always one of my concerns.  I don't ever want to give the borrower the impression that they are at a disadvantage by doing the closing away from the title company. Yes, signing agents are limited in our knowledge of the specifics of the loan. But any questions or problems can be resolved if the loan officer is reachable by phone. And that is usually the case.

What I don't understand is why the father waited until closing day to be so concerned about his daughter's refinancing.  If he was going to have that much influence on her decision making, why wasn't he more involved all along?  He would have known what she was getting into.  She will definitely be refinancing in the near future. Hopefully he will get more involved then, so that on closing day things will (hopefully) go more smoothly.

There's a new kid on the block. Or should I say, new kids on the block.

There is a new school in Colorado Springs, the 21st Century Charter School  (grades K - 10), located at 525 East Costilla. The 21st Century Charter Schools are sponsored by the GEO (Greater Educational Opportunities) Foundation.  The principal is Kurt Walker, a former Classical Academy teacher and Teacher of the Year.

You can learn more about the school by visiting the 21st Century Charter School website.

Additional information about the GEO Foundation can be obtained by visiting the U.S. Department of Education website.

21st Century Charter School of Colorado Springs
525 East Costilla Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 570-7575

Famous words from the '70s. I think I'll call this conspiracy, 'Notarygate'. Just about every week, I am asked to commit a crime.

The companies who ask me to perform illegal acts aren't criminals or bad guys. It's just that they, for lack of a better phrase, don't know any better.

One of the things I am frequently asked to do is notarize my own signature. The document will even require that I put myself under oath ("Do you, Leon, solemly swear that ....?"  "Yes, Leon, I do.").  Okay, I'm making light of it. But I will actually get requests that are suggesting that I do exactly that.

In the overanxiousness (or overzealousness) of a lot of companies to have everything 'legal and proper' they will want as many documents notarized as possible.  They can really get carried away sometimes.

Here is how it may appear:

Understand, the borrower is not swearing to anything. It is the notary that this document is referring to who is asked to swear that they have seen the identification, and that the signatures match, etc.

Sorry, a notary cannot notarize their own signature. A notary cannot administer an oath to themselves. For Colorado notaries, this is covered under Colorado Revised Statutes  [CRS 12-55-110].

For notaries of other states, check your notary laws.  It isn't necessary that you are able to cite the law to the company, but it's a good idea if you know where to find it.

Good luck.

I got a call today to do a closing tomorrow evening in Colorado Springs.  I was on my bike, on my way to drop off some loan documents from a closing I did yesterday. 

The caller said that the closing is in Colorado Springs, but Colorado Springs encompasses a very large area.  I quoted my normal fee to do a refinance.  And since I was on my bike, of course I didn't have any maps or zip code listings with me.

When I got back to my office I checked my email, opened up the confirmation, and put the address into Mapquest to get directions. It turns out that the distance is 32.27 miles and it will take 44 minutes. The borrowers are almost in the next county.

Most notary signing agents, myself included, base our fees on a 20-mile radius. Anything beyond that and we add an additional travel fee.  I had already quoted my fee, but it wouldn't be enough to cover the additional time and travel.

First I called the borrower and confirmed the appointment for the closing.  Then I called the company and requested an increase in my fee. They agreed. No problem.

The first thing to do in a situation like this, in my opinion, is follow through with the assignment. Get the job done. You can haggle about money later. Even if I had not been able to reach the company, I still would have printed out the documents and done the closing. Do the job first, and then attempt to re-negotiate the fee.

There are some companies that would have not agreed to a fee increase. They would have replied: "But you said your fee is ..."  And technically they are right.  Fortunately I was dealing with a good company that understands that these things happen when giving a closing assignment. 

Hopefully, if any of you are in a similar situation, the company will do the right thing and agree to increase the fee. Good luck.

It's days like today when I don't like what I do.  But I do it, because I'm supposed to be a closer. It's my job.

I got a call this morning to do a rush purchase transaction.  The closing was to take place at 11:30 a.m. at the hospital during the borrower's lunch break.  The borrower doesn't work at the hospital.  He is on a construction crew that is building a new wing for the hospital. 

He had no idea the closing was today. He got the call this morning from the broker saying that he had to sign the papers today. The time of 11:30 was chosen because that's when the borrower takes his lunch break.  Never mind that he might want to eat something. He had to sign the documents.

The documents were late being sent to my email (So what else is new in this business?). I suggested that we conduct the closing at the borrower's home when he gets off work.  I didn't mind driving 30+ miles to where he lived. No, the papers must be signed this afternoon so that I can drop them off in time for the UPS pick up. They absolutely must arrive tomorrow.

To make a long story short, I got it done.  I felt like a hired gun though.  The title company called me just seconds as I was pulling away from the UPS Store.  They congratulated me for getting the job done.  Mixed emotions.  On the one hand, you feel good.  You want it to be known that you can pull off the seemingly impossible closing.  On the other hand, I felt terrible.  That's not the way it should be done.

But what can I say?  They don't care how I do it. Just do it.

"I got an interview at Dean Whitter for an internship, and I got it. So I'm going to stand out in my program."

When Chris Gardner spoke those words to his wife in a scene from the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, he wasn't boasting, and he wasn't being cocky. It was a very solemn scene. His wife was about to leave him. She wondered how he would be able to raise their son, and she asked him what he was going to do for money.

When he told her that he was going to stand out in the internship program, he had his head down, but it was as if he were looking out into the future as he spoke.  To me, it was one of the most powerful scenes in the movie. 

The reason Chris Gardner succeeded, in my opinion, wasn't just because he was "good with numbers and good with people".  It was because of the strong belief that he had in himself.  He willed himself to survive, succeed, and flourish -- despite the odds that were against him.

This part of his character -- this belief in himself and his abilities -- also showed itself in the interview for the internship at Dean Whitter, when he told the interviewers that he was the type of person who, if he didn't know the answer to a question, he would find it. He was very certain about this. The interviewer saw that quality in him and, despite the fact that he was dressed as a "garbage man", gave him a position in the internship program.  Chris Gardner made the very most of that opportunity.

There were many inspirational moments in the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, and there were many things that impressed me about Chris Gardner.  But the thing that impressed me the most was his belief in himself.

Belief in oneself: it is the most powerful force that a person can have. 

"If you want something, go get it. Period." - Chris Gardner