Notaries

Notaries are usually required for any important document such as a marriage license or real estate transaction to witness and authorize the signatures. The main reason that a notary is in existence is to verify that all parties are completing a transaction without coercion and to deter fraud. With identity theft and real estate scams increasing it is crucial that all significant real estate deals are verified and that the purchasers and sellers are who they state they are.

Specialized Notaries

Even though a notary should only observe and authorize signatures on any real estate transaction, having the knowledge about the closing process is an added perk. Knowing what pages need to be reviewed and how many copies need to be signed can speed up the closing and result in additional business being booked. A notary that can work with buyers and sellers to accelerate the process and help them understand all the documents will only aid the closing lawyer and other people that are present.

While at a recent mortgage closing for my new house, the closing attorney was also serving as the notary for the mortgage documents. He had a lot of experience with closings and pointed out what we needed to sign and what we should read over before signing. Although we were in and out of the office in about an hour, the problem was that I didn't really understand what everything was and couldn't recall everything I had signed.

Take the Time

Instead of slowing down the process I instead just sat and signed where I was asked on each page. The lawyer was efficient but it is also important to realize that notaries should also feel some responsibility for the documents and serve as another layer of customer service. Clients should not be pressured to finish in an allotted amount of time without fully realizing what they are signing.