I hear it often when I am at a borrower's home doing a loan closing, "I didn't know we could do this! I thought I'd have to take off from work or use my lunch hour and go to the bank to do the closing. This is great!"
That statement is usually followed by the question "Have you been doing this because of Covid?"
(Hint: the answer is no! Mobile notaries have been around for a number of years prior to the pandemic.) So let's take a look at some mobile notary services 101...
What Is a Mobile Notary?
This is probably the first question you have. Mobile notaries are like any other notary you'd find in your town working at a tag shop, your bank or credit union or your local UPS Store with one difference - we travel to all of our clients. Mobile notaries provide services at a time and a location that is convenient to the customer. We can travel to your home, place of work or a coffee shop. Services can also be provided at schools, health care facilities, hospitals, jails...just about anywhere. It's all about convenience for the customer!
Mobile notaries are bonded and carry errors & omissions insurance for your and our protection respectively, as is required for all notaries.
Why Use a Mobile Notary?
These days everyone is busy. Between demanding work schedules, kids, activities, doctors appointments and more recently the Covid pandemic, everyone's free time is at a premium. When notary services are needed, it is not always possible to take time away from work or the kids to get to a notary shop or the bank or credit union. This is where the flexibility of mobile notaries come in. For many, the travel fees that mobile notaries charge are well worth the time savings of having to go somewhere to get their documents notarized.
Others may not be able to leave their home to get to someplace that provides notary services. Home-bound folks, those in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and those in prison cannot leave those locations. Mobile notaries can help these people as well.
How Much Do Mobile Notaries Cost?
The fees to notarize documents are generally set by the Department of State in the state you reside. These can vary from state to state. For example, here in Pennsylvania, notary fees are as follows:
Acknowledgements $5 for first signature & $2 for each additional signature
Affidavits $5 for all signatures
Signature Witnessing $5 for each signature
Copy Certifications $5 per copy
Oaths $5 per individual taking the oath
Depositions $3 per page
Verifications $5
Protests $3 per page
On top of these fees, most states allow notaries to charge travel or administration fees. These can vary and many mobile notaries charge travel fees based on the mileage to the meeting location. Some mobile notaries may charge early morning, late night or weekend service fees as well as a fee for waiting past the agreed upon meeting time. Additional fees may be assessed for providing services in jails or hospitals. Be sure to ask about the mobile notary's fees when scheduling an appointment!
If you lead a busy life and find yourself needing notary services, keep us mobile notaries in mind.
For service in the Greater Reading, PA area be sure to give Blue Ink Notary a call. To get a quote, give us a call at 484-509-1405 or send an email to brian@blueinknotarypa.com.