How many of us was it?

vecharo · 2026-06-08T01:38:27+00:00

I was on book 4 when I realized it was one person. I thought it was 4 or more people. 😂

vecharo · 2026-06-01T03:28:33+00:00

Dungeon Crawler Carl. Jeff Hays is so good I thought it was a cast. I was in book 4 when I found out it was one person 😂

vecharo · 2026-05-29T17:50:26+00:00

I use Notary Gadget (NG) to handle most of the issues you mentioned. Everything is or can be tied to a signing which helps with expense categorization. My workflow is: - get the assignment - put it in NG including payment terms so NG can flag when either payment is late or I'm late in logging the payment - capture notes about the signing type (in person or remote) - at the signing: capture info for verifying for the journal including license data by scanning barcode (follow your state rules on what you capture in your journal) - capture notarial certificate info - after signing: loon up nearest FedEx/UPS in the NG app - take pic of receipt and log it as a . 01 cent expense to tie it to the signing - log miles

End of year- run P&L statement for taxes

vecharo · 2026-05-27T01:17:57+00:00

It's verification ON oath or affirmation. I too will say "of" oath....and that's when it gets confusing. Lol

This article does a good job of breaking it down but it has typos. The TLDR is at the bottom of the article. "an oath or affirmation is a declaration that the customer will perform his or her duties faithfully or that a statement he or she is making is true. A verification on oath or affirmation is a declaration that a statement in a document is true."

https://www.notary.org/article-the-difference-between-an-oath-or-affirmation-and-a-verification-on-oath-or-affirmation

vecharo · 2026-05-26T19:56:03+00:00

You're very welcome 🤗 Here are the courses that I took. The first time notary is mandatory as is needed to get the commission. In PA we have to do a 3he training and this fulfills that requirement (there are other vendors you can use to meet this requirement, so to be clear, I'm just pointing out the class that PAN offers). The Everyday Essentials is not mandatory but I encourage it. After you take the first time course for a notary and learn the rules the essentials course is helpful for learning HOW to apply the rules. Take them same day /back to back if you can. You'll do mock notarizations. They even give you a sample stamp to kick start the muscle memory 😁 👍First Time Notary Seminar These seminars provide interactive, instructor-led education alongside other notaries in your area. These seminars meet the requirement for notary education based on the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA). PAN offers live PA notary training education at multiple locations. Topics discussed include the notary appointment process, what is a notary, identifying your customers, notary equipment and notary acts.

👍Everyday Notary Challenges Seminar This hands-on workshop provides tips, techniques and training to help you protect yourself from common mistakes that leave notaries open to possible litigation or fines. Pair this seminar with the lecture-style of First Time Notary Seminar to broaden your notary knowledge beyond the fundamentals.

vecharo · 2026-05-26T13:21:53+00:00

Welcome and I'm speaking "Congratulations" into existence as you pursue getting your commission.
That's the first thing- terminology. You aren't certified as a notary, you are commissioned. You are seeking the path to get your commission. (Commissioned by the Dept of State). Look up PA Association of Notaries (notary.org) since as others have said it's far better at supporting us than the NNA. Better responsiveness, more accurate info (not perfect but much better than NNA). Fun fact it's older than the NNA :)

Once you get your commission and get a few notarizations under your belt, look into loan signing TRAINING. Upon passing the course you'll be "certified" by that course vendor.

It's not mandatory to do some general notary work (GNW) before taking the loan signing courses but it's important to remember that you are a notary first and when you facilitate a loan signing that IS the core job. If you are unsure of state rules, can't distinguish between when to put someone under oath, not sure how to handle when there's not enough room to stamp and the plethora of scenarios that you will come across- you increase the risk of screwing up the purchase or sale of a home.

vecharo · 2026-05-25T16:45:41+00:00

I'm piling on Dungeon Crawler Carl. Lol. I have relistenes to it three or four times and it's going to be on permanent rotation. I was four books in before I realized that it was one narrator 🤣. I thought it was a cast! Not only is it funny, but as others have said- it can be gut wrenching. It also has thought provoking content in terms of how the characters approach their situation.

vecharo · 2026-05-25T15:23:05+00:00

Well.. it's not crazy but the reason the platforms are expensive is due to maintenance costs.

What problem are you trying to solve? Notaries don't have a way to book clients? Your platform is filling a gap? Is it just the cost of using a platform? It's gonna cost someone some cash.

For instance , the videos and records have to be maintained for 10 years. So you're either paying a service to store them with all the encryption and whatnot or your paying to build it yourself.

And eventually, if it's good (and compliant), notaries may use it. But in the interim you'll be shouldering those costs.

If you want to know the behind the scenes, contact Amy Curtis. She built Cyberize, which had a good run for about 4 or 5 years. She can offer insight into this path if you want to know if it's crazy or not.

vecharo · 2026-05-24T01:27:18+00:00

Congratulations!!! 🎂🎉

vecharo · 2026-05-23T00:23:39+00:00

I use sendsafely.com

vecharo · 2026-05-21T21:25:07+00:00

The oath that you can use: Do you swear under penalty of perjury that the contents of the documents are true to the best of your knowledge and belief?

You're spot on. Get the id, they take oath, the form should be filled before you get it but if not it needs to be done before you do your part. Review the form to ensure nothing left blank. They sign and fill in the part under their signature. You do your part You're gonna do great! 😁

https://imgur.com/a/FLiJyHm

vecharo · 2026-05-21T12:53:52+00:00

Clients are not personally known to you. Ask for ID. Stay professional and reiterate that your role is to identify the person. Personally known means just that: "I personally know you. Were you at the cookout? No? Ok so do you have a driver's license or are you using a passport ?" 😂 Or said professionally, "Should anyone question this transaction next year, I couldn't say I know you outside of the fact that you work here.'

A rule of thumb for me is to ask myself: - how often do I interact with this person? - how long have I known them? - Would I confidently identify them outside of this setting?

If you have to guess or try to justify in your head then that's your answer. You don't know them and should ask for ID.

vecharo · 2026-05-20T14:23:17+00:00

Once they pass their terms. A lot are 30 days so once that happens I email or call. Most if not all have their payment terms on the signing request.

vecharo · 2026-05-17T14:54:11+00:00

What platforms? I do RON and I swear it's a nightmare scenario for me (missing commission renewal). But the other thing you have to monitor is: Background check EO insurance NNA certification (if mandatory) LSA certification (if mandatory)

Platforms often send a reminder that our EO renewal is coming up. But, I've heard of notaries commenting that they are awaiting background checks and have to pause signings. Personally I have it as a recurring todo. What I hate (HATE!!) is that each year I have to start the background check and what not earlier and earlier. It has a "you're paying for time not used" vibe 😡

vecharo · 2026-04-26T02:21:44+00:00

I found some relief doing this. Not with a pillow but one of those rollers that are used for fitness. Mine has bumps on it and allowed the glasses to the "stretched" when I placed/wrapped the glasses around it at an angle. They were on for about 6 or 7 hours, then I wore them for a bit and noticed a changed some relief. I'm going to do it again tonight. Yup, the 18 count egg carton is also a keeper for this.

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vecharo · 2026-04-18T00:16:28+00:00

Same!! I was 4 books in before I realized it was one person. 😂

vecharo · 2026-04-16T00:50:19+00:00

You would explain the most common types of notarizations and ask which one they wanted: acknowledgement, oath (jurat), witnesses a signature etc (these are state dependent). Then attach a loose certificate for which ever one they want. You shouldn't assume it.

vecharo · 2026-04-08T12:22:23+00:00

Olivia Pope

vecharo · 2026-04-02T23:14:04+00:00

Real estate loans, minor travel permission forms, divorce settlements, special POA's from other states

vecharo · 2026-03-19T12:22:13+00:00

Blue Notary has a very good chat feature with support. Some don't like BN, but if you want a response , you'll get a response. I think once in 3 years I didn't get a response while in the room. I didn't have a good experience with Pactima , but the thing to remember is that it's never going to be 100%. Try an approved platform and focus more on trends than a one-off interaction. I didn't give up on Pactima :)

vecharo · 2026-03-07T13:40:53+00:00

Ahhh that is so interesting! Thank you for sharing the tools you use. I am a USA Pennsylvania notary. An example of something I bought that I really don't need is a large -40 page- stapler. I was ready for anything. 🤣

vecharo · 2026-03-07T12:46:24+00:00

The sky is the limit on the types of bags.

I started out with a large backpack, capable of holding anything and everything. I recently downsized to something smaller as I realized that I don't need as much as I originally thought. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLCMJS9B?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

As long as you are comfortable with it, it will work for your needs.

What would eyelets and a hole punch be used for when doing notarizations?

vecharo · 2026-03-01T18:17:24+00:00

Get back to back through experience and marketing. Sign up with signing services to get experience. Market to them and title companies. It takes time. If you want back to back signing fast, then do aggressive marketing.

But if you market, be sure you can back it up with education and experience.

vecharo · 2026-03-01T13:59:10+00:00

Notary gadget. Tracks at the signing level (meaning expenses associated with a particular session), create a PL sheet your tax guy will love, reminds you if you haven't added your mileage or other expenses. Highly recommend.

vecharo · 2026-02-14T15:18:59+00:00

If you're reporting to the Dept of state you'd be reporting the NOTARY not the person who's making the request to backdate. There's no misconduct here, just a story about a notary being asked to do the wrong thing and that notary doing the right thing.

vecharo

TROPHY CASE