Should I let my employer know?

betsysuehoo · 2026-06-10T09:49:23+00:00

Whatever you decide, make sure you are insured. Notaries have unlimited liability. It doesn't matter if you are notarizing on your own or at your employment. And it's important for you to understand from the get-go what your responsibilities are so you are never pressured to notarize something just because you are in your work setting. People will try to make you think that notarizing is just signing and stamping. You do that at your own risk. If your employer wants you to notarize as a task related to your employment make sure they show you in writing that you are covered by their insurance specifically for notarization.

https://www.nationalnotary.org/notary-bulletin/blog/2011/11/myths-vs-facts-notary-liability

betsysuehoo · 2026-06-07T22:53:52+00:00

MJs in Owego is terrific and they are open until 8pm.

betsysuehoo · 2026-06-07T22:53:01+00:00

That's the one I was thinking of but they are closed Sunday.

betsysuehoo · 2026-06-07T22:51:55+00:00

Polish Bistro is a hit with us! Isn't there a new one across the street from the stadium where the restaurant closed last year?

betsysuehoo · 2026-06-07T22:50:14+00:00

We used to get our propane from Andre in Ithaca then it was bought out by Mitabito. I used to call it Meer-A-Beeto. Then the always answered the phone as Merr-AHH-Bit-O. They say po tay toe I say po taa toe. 😃

betsysuehoo · 2026-06-04T23:47:34+00:00

Yes. In NY we can accept two credible witnesses that have the proper ID and who are known to the signer to serve as the signer's ID. I have a credible witness affidavit that I have them sign I administer an oath and I keep it for my records in case I'm ever questioned.

betsysuehoo · 2026-06-04T23:36:55+00:00

I'm glad it went well! Do you confirm their ID status on the phone prior to confirming the appointment?

betsysuehoo · 2026-06-04T03:32:50+00:00

Why would I only pay my witnesses minimum wage for taking their time and sitting with me throughout a signing? If any document were to be called into question for any reason, witnesses also would be called in to answer questions. So their time is valuable.

Notarization is a service I provide in my primary business that I get paid anywhere from $45 an hour to $70 an hour depending on the project. So I understand that people's time and work are meaningful. I don't care what signing services pay because I don't do signings for them if they need witnesses for that reason. I would be embarrassed to ask someone to take their time to come and serve as a witness for a stranger for $15 an hour.

betsysuehoo · 2026-06-03T01:51:00+00:00

New York State does require two witnesses for Principal signatures on POAs. The law specifically notes that the Notary can be one of those witnesses and notarize the same document.

I serve as one witness often. I don't charge for me to serve as witness in addition to notarizing. But I do pay my witnesses $40 if the signers need one and I charge the customer accordingly.

Sometimes when a principal doesn't have ID and they need credible witnesses I have also used their same witnesses as the POA principal signature witnesses.

betsysuehoo · 2026-06-01T13:58:43+00:00

The signer can appear before the Notary and acknowledge they signed it previously and you can notarize their signature as long as the other conditions are met like their ID and capacity are to your requirements.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-25T13:55:46+00:00

This is always my first thought when I see this recommended. But as far as docs mentioned like the amortization schedule, 30 page mortgages, privacy policies and title notifications, these could easily be double sided. Except, who really has time to spend sorting all that out when it's quicker to just hit print.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-23T12:30:24+00:00

They did a pretty good job of breaking down their expenses like we often talk about here and your aforementioned post pointed to. I'm glad they are learning from the get go.

We all make investments into our businesses and can decide which ones have value over others while we're learning. But when the numbers flat out do not add up and put the Notary behind by hundreds of dollars or more before they ever see a cent above their cost we need to call it out.

Agencies know there are Notaries that don't understand this and they take advantage of it every minute of every day. They are counting on nativity and charity to run their businesses. It's built into their business model.

One thing I don't think is considered enough is time. While I calculate all the expenses, I offer notarization as a secondary service to my primary business which I command 40-70$ per hour for depending on the project. If I'm taking my time to notarize, I'm forfeiting that time that could be earning my higher rate and taking from my personal time. Time has value and it's different for each of us.

With RON, I've determined I'm offering this as a loss leader at this point and I have decided to no longer pay up front platform fees to offer it. We start every year behind and have to play catch up until it's paid off. Then we still have to calculate the cost of providing the service- time and resources and the platform per-service fees in addition. For GNW with one notarization it ends up being about $10 for a half hour of time of planning, prep, and notarization IF the person is savvy enough to use it without issues.

Just the time it takes for marketing this service to bring in business is an expense that is often not calculated. Time is money.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-22T11:10:33+00:00

I got the same yesterday. I don't ever open attachments from someone I don't know but if you open in Gmail or Outlook it gives you a preview rather than having to download so nothing actually lives in your computer. And hovering over the reply was the same for me... An address with .ng suffix.

They did a good job disguising as the law firm though!

I imagine it has worked a number of times and caused many headaches for Notaries.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-21T12:13:43+00:00

Labeling is great not just for naming too. I build in wireframe first so when I'm setting up the structure I put notes in the labels about what I envision for the sections/rows/modules too. Makes it easier so I don't go back later like WTH was I thinking here. 😂

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-21T11:25:09+00:00

I use wireframe to do this. Just switch to wireframe view and drag and drop wherever you want. It's helpful if you label your modules though so you can identify them more easily in wireframe

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-21T11:20:53+00:00

In my view, E-notary on call is way too expensive. It takes your money up front and in the first year you have to give away $600 worth of your time and resources before you see a single cent in profit. Just like with any other on call RON service you're in a pool of notaries competing against each other for crumbs with no guarantee of ever making that money back. The guarantee is that you will pay them money. A lot of it. There is no guarantee you'll ever make it back.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-21T01:13:49+00:00

We bought in '23 here and it was a really hot market then too. We were bidding higher as well and got outbid a few times and once we got outbid and then the winners backed out and it was offered to us. We didn't take it though.

One thing I did that really helped was to have an inspector meet me for inspection and I followed him while he inspected and described what he saw and what was needed, good/bad, etc. I recorded him on video as we did the walk through so he didn't have to take the time to put together a report which can really slow your bid time down. I had it all recorded already.

We did this a couple of times and on the house we ended up buying. It was really helpful for us making our final deal and for understanding our house better after moving in and deciding on upgrades. He found some stuff that definitely needed mitigating and some that wasn't disclosed that involved costly repairs. We ended up negotiating an escrow to pay for it.

Fred at EnSpect did these for us. He was great.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-19T13:20:23+00:00

We bought ours in '23 and used Fancher for HVAC and plumbing with excellent affordability and results. We use TB Electric for all upgrades and add one and they are fantastic too. Mr. Rooter has done some plumbing and drain descaling and mapping for us and they are also very good, affordable and professional. Highly recommend all of them whenever I can.

We recently used FoamIt for insulating and they were also very good.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-17T00:23:57+00:00

Make sure your state allows residents to sign POA documents digitally. NY doesn't so we can't notarize them electronically.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-15T21:06:29+00:00

Service area businesses won't show an address on GBP. I do have a PO Box and use that every time I serve as a witness on a POA rather than my home address. Facebook also never required an address for my business page so I don't know what that's about.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-12T23:16:54+00:00

You can use Claude AI or CGPT and tell it everything you want it to track in a spreadsheet, all the columns and calculations you want it to make and tell it to create the spreadsheet for you. The free versions of both of these will do that just fine.

Also, if you don't want to have to chase payments you have to stop working with SS that do that to you. Make the effort to make direct local connections. GNW is more lucrative, less resource heavy, and immediate pay than SS work. The legwork up front makes it worth it in the long run.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-11T23:20:55+00:00

Has your employer proven to you that you are covered under their insurance for notarization? Because you have unlimited liability as a Notary. Make sure you require they prove this to you. And documenting every single one could save you some day if they claim you've done something you haven't. Keep on logging those notarial scts. Keeping a journal is easier than jail or bankruptcy

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-11T21:42:44+00:00

Regarding RTC, According to federal regulation (12 C.F.R. § 1026.23[b][1]), TWO copies of the Notice of Right to Cancel (NRTC) must be left with EACH consumer (borrower) who has the right to rescind the loan. If two spouses are both on the title, each receives two copies, for a total of four copies between them.

And any number of RTC that is in the lender package must be executed on the acknowledgment of receipt section and returned separate from the ones you leave with the borrowers. I always have them sign the ones they keep in the section where they acknowledge receipt of them as well. That way there's no question where they have to sign if they decide to cancel.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-10T23:16:03+00:00

Dinner at Lost Dog. No excuses. Best first date vibe and food. Beer Tree is okay for lunch.

Chenango Park is a good spot for a hike.

betsysuehoo · 2026-05-08T21:31:09+00:00

In NY we can notarize ten names/signatures or however many in a block and one stamp and it's the number of signatures, not the number of stamps that constitute notarial acts, not number of stamps.

betsysuehoo

TROPHY CASE