Hire the Pro or Go Cheap?

Professional notaries are mistaken for those that show up and sign and stamp documents. We aren’t those people. A professional notary has a higher standard than that. A professional notary is personally responsible for all transactions that they are a witness to. They keep an accurate recording of all transactions in a Notary journal whether its required by state law or not. They keep your information confidential. They’ve taken some form of training or Notary education. They are hopefully apart of professional associations and adhere to a code of conduct. They also carry insurance.

Insurance!

When a person decides to become a Notary Public, they are personally responsible for any task they perform especially the ones that require their signature or notarial seal. Even if they are an employee of a business, they are PERSONALLY responsible for any mistakes or negligence.

Fact: A Notary does not serve their employer.

Example: You have a loan document and your loan officer says you need to find a Notary Public because your signature needs to be notarized on the documents. You walk into your local bank (or UPS) and the notary notarizes them. Perfect! You ship the documents but when your loan officer receives them, they’ve been notarized incorrectly or not to their standards. But the documents needed to be correct! This was the last day. Now, the loan officer has to start over with a new set of documents. This will most likely cost you more in fees interest. Who should pay? You? The bank? or the Notary? The bank has zero responsibility even though the Notary is their employee and the documents were notarized at their establishment. The Notary is the one responsible and they should have insurance. Their insurance should cover the cost.

There are many different scenarios we could present to you that will show you the importance of hiring a professional versus going the cheap or free route. NOTE: I am not bashing Notaries that are employed by banks or ups, some of them do provide great services but I do recommend you ask all the questions and do your research. Like any other service you’d pay for, exceptional service may come at a higher cost but will probably save you thousands and a headache in the long run.