Have you been hearing about refinancing, but don’t understand exactly what it means? This article from US News answers some of the questions.
US Mortgage Rates Dropped
Good news for people wanting to buy or refinance, and for notary signing agents!
https://wtop.com/real-estate/2019/06/us-long-term-mortgage-rates-fall-30-year-loan-at-3-73/
Creative Financing Helps Our Business
If you are a signing agent, you know that our businesses survive on loan closings – sellers and buyers packages, re-finances, reverse mortgages. We are self-employed and, like many other self employed, or ones who have side-hustles or are retired, our income can be hard to document.
Thanks to some lenders who are helping people with hard-to-document finances, many people are being assisted in getting loans to buy or refinance.
Contact me for your loan signing needs.
Martha Robards
480-462-9005
Zero Down Payment Creates Business
A new program Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America is being introduced in a series of all over the country. Not only will this program allow thousands to get into homes who would otherwise not be able to, but will create much work for real estate loan document signers.
DYI Maricopa County Forms
For those of you who want to do your own forms for a legal separation, dissolution of marriage, conciliation and more, this Maricopa Superior Court website offers help. This Website contains interactive interviews that will assist you in completing the forms necessary to create court documents for Legal Separation, Dissolution of Marriage, Conciliation and more.
Closing Disclosure Explained
The Closing Disclosure contains details about your loan. Use this tool to make sure everything is correct on your Closing Disclosure. Lenders are required to provide your Closing Disclosure three business days before your scheduled closing. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, especially if something doesn’t look right.
If you are a signing agent, you can you the Closing Disclosure Explainer provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to learn more about the Closing Disclosure to help you on your signings.
Please contact me (Martha) if you have questions, at 505-750-7847.
Leadership? Not Me!
You may have your signing business, and you may have discovered that leadership is part of your work. If you’re thinking, “This is not what I signed up for!”, consider that leadership in some form is part of most businesses, organizations, corporations, home-based businesses, associations, meetings and even families.
Don’t let all the chatter these days about leadership stress you out. Be yourself, be open, be kind and continue to learn. There are many definitions of leadership, but one that I especially like for the purposes of this article is this:
: the act or an instance of leading
- leadership molds individuals into a team
- —Harold Koontz & Cyril O’Donnell
I also liked one definition that said that a good leader, “Creates an inspiring vision of the future.” You are probably already doing these things in some way in your day to day activities.
In your signing business, do you find that you need to educate the signers?
Do you find yourself teaching new signing agents how to do signings?
Do you have kids that each have different needs, but also need to be taught to work within the family arrangement?
See, you’re already doing it. Here are three tips to help you continue to lead, teach and inspire:
1. Accept feedback. Everybody is different in their likes, dislikes, learning styles, ability to communicate clearly, etc. Ask for feedback from your team, customers, family. Then, when they offer it, accept it with a smile and where you can, genuinely put it to use. This can inspire confidence in them that they are valued and that in the future they can feel comfortable giving their feedback.
2. Listen. When people sense you are really listening, they know you care about them. Listen to understand, not respond.
3. Inspire cooperation. No one is an island, and in most groups of people, there is a need for cooperation among them. As an illustration, in the example above, you and your customers need cooperation for you to teach them the full benefit of what they are purchasing and using. You need to show, talk and educate; they need to listen and be attentive to learn, and then do what they learn, to appreciate the full value of the product.
These are just a few aspects of leadership. There are many more. I would love to show you more about leadership and how I do it my home-based businesses.
You can contact me at marthapmintl@gmail.com , or call me at 602-243-5642 (Phoenix) or 505-750-7847 (cell).
How Not to Sign Important Documents
HOW NOT TO SIGN IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
By Martha Robards 8-13-10
Okay, the time has come for the signing. You have given your title company the appointment date, time and place that you would like for your courtesy signing. You have been told you will receive a call from your signing agent confirming the appointment time and place and you are to provide her with your approved I.D. You made the appointment at the end of a work day so that it wouldn’t interfere with your work. You think, “After this is over, I can relax and enjoy my weekend.”
As you wait for the call, you review in your mind what has transpired and are glad that the culmination of months of phone calls, emails and documents going back and forth is approaching. You know that upon the signing of these documents, the loan will close and this new transaction will be in effect. Your payments will be lower and you will actually receive some cash back.
You’re tired and want to get this over.
WHAT NOT TO DO:
Don’t rush your signing. We’re all busy. Rushing through important documents is a recipe for disaster.
Don’t drink alcohol before or during your signing. Yes you’re tired and yes you want this over with and yes, you would like to be relaxed through the signing. Don’t do it with alcohol. (You will make your signing agent faint!) These are important documents and you should have full access to your thinking abilities and judgment.
Don’t allow distractions. Schedule your signing at a time and place where there will not be distractions that can cause you to lose your focus.
WHAT TO DO:
Allow time. Signing documents with a lot of legalese are difficult for all of us. We want it done. But taking the time to understand what you are signing is critical to the success of the transaction, now and in the future.
Relax. Give yourself time BEFORE the signing to relax, whether that be by enjoying a cup of coffee, taking a nap or chatting with your mate. Whatever helps you not be stressed out, do it to help prepare for the signing.
Make it convenient but focused. The purpose of a ‘courtesy signing’ is to help you get your documents signed at a time and place convenient to you. This may mean that the signer will come to your home, work or other convenient place to you. However, it is also important that you realize that mistakes can happen if you are distracted during the process. Inform your children and family members that you will need about an hour (depending on the type of transaction) of quiet time in the living room or dining room to sign some important documents, and you would appreciate it if they would respect that.
HARP – How It Can Help You Refinance
Home Affordable Refinance Program—was created by the Federal Housing Finance Agency specifically to help homeowners who are current on their mortgage payments, but have little to no equity in their homes, refinance their mortgage – that is, they owe as much or more than their homes are currently worth – are eligible for a HARP refinance. Do your research then talk to your lender.
Mistake Free Signing
Here are tips from the NNA for mistake free loan signings. Although mistakes will happen, the better prepared you are, the better the signing will go.