How to Navigate & Grow Your Notary Public Loan Signing Agent Business During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Are you a notary public loan signing agent concerned with the growing discussion around the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic?

Would you like some tips and strategies to ensure you stay healthy meeting with borrowers during these uncertain times, while still allowing you to capitalize on the record number of refinancing in the market today?  
Discover how to navigate your notary business in these unprecedented times with our free guide below: ​

Being a Notary Loan Signing Agent is an "Essential Service"

First and foremost, it's important to know that according to the U.S. Department of Treasury, being a notary loan signing agent is an essential service.

As a notary public acting as a loan signing agent, you are a key third party provider who delivers core services needed to process financial transactions. 

Download the notice linked below, print it, and have it with you as you conduct appointments if you are in a "shelter-in-place" state or city. 

Download the Notary Essential Service Memorandum for Financial Services Notice Below:
financial-services-sector-essential-critical-infrastructure-workers.pdf
File Size: 106 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
As the notice states, "if you work in a critical infrastructure sector... you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule." The service you provide is part of transactions that are the backbone of our economy! This is exactly why the U.S. Government's economic stimulus response includes a massive effort to spur lending in the Nation. 

The U.S. Government is Taking Measures That Will Create More Loan Signing Agent Appointments / Jobs

Federal Reserve Cuts Rates to Zero

With the economy potentially being impacted, the US government is doing anything it can to minimize the impact of Coronavirus. The Federal Reserve just cut rates to zero and is providing more funds towards loans through quantitative easing which will compound the effect of an already historical high amount of new loan applications. 

Why?

Because the cheaper money is to borrow, the more people spend thus driving the economy upward. 

The Federal Funds rate directly affects adjustable rate mortgage rates and indirectly can benefit fixed mortgage rates.

The lower mortgage interest rates are, the more people will refinance their homes, lowering their payments and giving them extra cash to spend. 

This gives people more disposable income to spend on things like going out to movies, buying new cars, spending money at restaurants, and other activities that drive our economy.

And as a notary loan signing agent, it can mean a lot more signing opportunities!

The Fed Cuts Rates to Zero

Refinance Apps Are Spiking

This Approach Has Worked Before

The last time the Federal Reserve took this approach was in the Great Recession in 2008… the following year, home loan originations rose nearly 30%...over 2 million more home loans were funded! ​​

How Can You Be Prepared for the Coming Wave of New Loan Signing Jobs?

As notary loan signing agents, we are frequently meeting with clients in their homes and with escrow/title officers in their offices. Here are some tips to ensure you and your client’s safety, reducing the spread of any potential infections while helping them feel comfortable during the appointment, as well as how you can grow your business during this trying time.
​The combination of the drop in interest rates and massive spike in refinance applications means that notary signing agents will be called to fill a wave of new mortgage closings in the coming months. So what can you do to be prepared?

This guide provides these three tips to be ready for the wave of new loan signing jobs:
  1. Be sure your clients feel comfortable meeting during the Coronavirus event.
  2. Ensure you are staying healthy.
  3. Learn new ways to more effectively market yourself to get direct business without having to frequently meet with escrow/title officers in their office.

STEP 1

Ensure You and Your Clients Feel Comfortable and Safe During Meetings and Appointments

1) When You Confirm the Appointment, Confirm You Are Taking Precautions 

Because Coronavirus is on so many people’s minds, it is good to confirm with the borrower during your confirmation call what precautions have been taken by both sides:
  • Let them know that, to let them feel comfortable with the current situation, you feel great, have not traveled outside of the country in the last 21 days, and have not come in contact with anyone with Coronavirus (if this is true).
  • Let them know that you will use sanitizer and have fresh pens to use for the signing (I’d recommend using a new pen at each signing and leave the pen there when finished. If you can not afford a new pen for each appointment, refer to point #2 below). 
  • Ask the borrower if anyone in their home has felt any fever-like symptoms, is coughing, or has had any contact with anyone known to have Coronavirus. 
  • Confirm that because of current recommendations, you will not be shaking hands, but fist bumps are okay (see below). 

2) Carry Hand Sanitizer and Wipes

It’s always good practice to carry hand sanitizer and sanitary wipes to use before and after the appointment. Wipe down pens and your thumb-pad before and after each use. For your convenience, we've included Amazon affiliate links to help point you in the right direction finding the best products for you. 

3) Follow the World Health Organization’s Coronavirus Recommendations

WHO has the following recommendations to prevent the spread of Coronavirus:
  • Clean hands frequently with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water
  • Cover nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with tissue or flexed elbow
  • Avoid close contact (1 metre or 3 feet) with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms

4) Use a Rubber Finger Instead of Licking Fingers

Instead of licking your fingers before turning pages, it’s best practice to use a rubber finger or get used to turning pages without wetting them first. Regardless of the current situation, it’s unprofessional to lick your fingers before turning pages. 

5) Wash Your Hands Immediately Following the Appointment

​Once the appointment is complete, it may be okay to ask to utilize the restroom to wash your hands to be extra safe. 

6) It's Okay to Pass on an Appointment

At the end of the day, you need to do what is best for you and your family. No one is going to blame you if you choose not to take a signing appointment during this unprecedented event. It is a scary time in our country. 

We strongly recommend that you follow the guidance of the CDC and Federal, State, and Local governments. For your convenience, we've included the White House's guidelines.

​If you choose to take signing appointments, your clients will know the sacrifice you are making. So will the lender. So will the home owner. Your job has become more important than ever. Take all the precautions you can and make the best choice for you and your family. 

STEP 2

Learn How to Stay Healthy During the Coronavirus Pandemic From Renowned Best Selling Author, Dr. Gundry

To help you learn more on how you can protect yourself from this and other illnesses, here is a resource from the renowned best-selling author, Dr Gundry. 

Here Are Dr. Gundry's Comments and Recommendations to Stay Healthy During the Coronavirus Pandemic:

What is Coronavirus?

  • 1:30 - “Well, number one, this is not a bacteria like the plague bacteria. This is a virus and it’s exactly like other viruses that you’re well aware of. For instance, influenza, the flu, is also caused by a virus. This particular virus is a cousin of other previous coronaviruses.”
  • 4:31 - Most People Seriously Impacted Already Have Underlying Diseases: “This virus does appear to be mild in its usual presentation… they may feel like they have a cold, they may feel a little achy, they may have a cough or runny nose. Now, in extreme cases, most of the people who are being affected already have other underlying diseases, like chronic lung disease.”

What Can You Do to Avoid Getting Coronavirus?

  • 11:57 - Your Immune System Was Built to Defend Against Viruses: “Here’s the deal. Your immune system is really good at handling any virus as long as you have a functioning intact microbiome.”
  • 13:15 - Reduce/Eliminate Sugar: “The best thing you can do to make sure your immune system doesn’t work properly is to eat sugar or things that turn into sugar, because sugar suppresses the immune system better than almost any other thing that you can do… so the more you stay away from sweets, cookies, crackers, cereals, candy, during this season, the better off your immune system is going to be.”
  • 17:09 - Take Vitamin D: “Number one, you’ve got to make sure you have adequate levels of vitamin D3. The average person should take a bare minimum of 5,000 international units of vitamin D a day. A paper written from the University of California, San Diego a few years ago, after extensive research into humans, thinks that the average American should take 9,600 international units of vitamin D3 a day to have adequate levels of vitamin D.”
  • ​19:31 - Take Vitamin C: “Now, the second thing you can do, and this actually hearkens back to Linus Pauling’s research. Linus Pauling is the famous vitamin C doctor. He won two Nobel prizes in physics. But he believed, and there’s very excellent evidence that IV vitamin C is one of the most effective combatants against viral illnesses…. Now, you’re not going to get IV vitamin C before you go on a trip, or take it on the airplane. So what I recommend is one of two things. Either take time to release vitamin C capsules. They’re readily available. I like a thousand milligrams twice a day. But if you don’t have that, go to any drugstore, any health food store, get the chewable vitamin C tablet. They come in 500 milligrams. Chew 500 milligrams of vitamin C at least four times a day… just carry a bunch of vitamin C tablets with you and chew them every four hours and you’ll be just fine.” 
  • ​20:59 - Eat Mushrooms or Mushroom Capsules: “Third, mushrooms are some of the best ways to activate your immune system to activate killer cells, which are white blood cells that will go after viruses. Consider getting yourself some mushroom capsules. That’s another great way of adding another layer of defense.” 
  • 21:24 - Get Direct Sunlight: “Lastly, sunlight is one of the best ways to generate vitamin D in your bloodstream, the active form. So whatever you do, get yourself a half an hour exposure to sunlight wherever you are. That’s one of the best tricks. Yeah. So if you think that you’re getting effected with a virus, whether it’s the flu, whether it’s the coronavirus, this is exactly what I would recommend to you.”
  • 31:41 - Utilize a Sauna: " Heat activates what are called heat shock proteins, which I’ve written about and talked about. So yeah, a sauna is actually a great way to go." (See report in Sources below with additional information)

How Can You Protect Yourself From Coronavirus While Traveling?

  • 15:31 - Try to Get a Window Seat on an Airplane: “Are there things you can do on the airplane? Interesting study shows that people on the windows seats are actually the least susceptible to contacting some airborne illness while on an airplane, which makes a lot of sense because the farther you are from traffic going back and forth down the aisle, and the air circulation is actually the poorest on the window seats, so you will get less of the ventilation effect. Now, don’t make a mad dash for the window seats, please. But I frequently try to travel whenever I can, control my seating assignment with a window seat for that reason and that reason only.”
  • 16:19 - Wash Your Hands: “Hand washing is still the number one recommendation from the CDC. That and that alone will fix most of the problems.”

Should You Cancel Travel or Cancel Plans to Attend a Conference?

  • 14:00 - No Need to Cancel Travel Plans: “I recently interviewed Dr. Mark Hyman, my friend on my podcast, and he and I agree, certainly, it’s time to cancel plans to go to China, or South Korea, or Milan, or Northern Italy where these outbreaks are intense. Should you cancel plans to go visit your friends or relatives in the United States? Absolutely not. Well, for instance, I’m planning to be in Paris and the South of France next month. I have no plans to cancel my trip even though the South of France is quite near to Italy.”
  • 27:24 -  No Need to Cancel Conference Plans if in a Low Impact Area: “If you’re going to an area that has not seen this virus, you don’t have to not cancel your plans.”
Now, we're not doctors, but Dr. Gundry, WHO, and CDC provides some great advice.  Always consult your medical professional regarding your specific medical situation and regarding supplements to take. 

We will continue to monitor the Coronavirus situation. Hopefully, these tips will help you as you grow your notary signing business during these uncertain times. 

STEP 3

Learn How to Market Your Signing Agent Business to Take Advantage of the Expected Wave of Home Refinancings

If you are not yet a loan signing agent or are already a signing agent and would like to learn a magnitude of marketing skills to grow your business this year, click the button below to see our best-selling training course so you can capitalize on the wave of new loan signing jobs expected to occur as a result of the rate cut:
Rated 5 stars by over 1,000 students, including on Google Reviews, Facebook Reviews, and Better Business Bureau, Loan Signing System is America's #1 online notary public loan signing agent training course. All of our courses come with a 30-day Money Back Guarantee. 
If you are already a Loan Signing System student, I would strongly recommend getting our training course teaching you how to get more loan signing jobs using email marketing below.

*Essential Training for Existing LSS Students*

Learn How to Get More Loan Signing Jobs Without Visiting an Escrow or Title Office

If you are already a Loan Signing System student and you’d like to limit your contact with others while also getting more loan signings, consider getting our “How to Get More Clients Using Email Marketing” training course.

Imagine getting more clients and loan signing jobs every week by spending 20-30 minutes a week on email marketing. This could dramatically increase how many loan signing jobs you get while limited the amount of time spent face-to-face in offices where you could come in contact with people that are infected with Coronavirus, Flu, or any other contagious conditions. Click the button below to learn more about the course! 

White House Coronavirus Guidelines: 

The following are "Slow the Spread" guidelines directly from the White House:
Listen to and follow the directions of your STATE AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

IF YOU FEEL SICK, stay home. Do not go to work. Contact your medical provider.

IF YOUR CHILDREN ARE SICK, keep them at home. Do not send them to school. Contact your medical provider. 

IF SOMEONE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD HAS TESTED POSITIVE for coronavirus, keep the entire household at home. Do not go to work. Do not go to school. Contact your medical provider. 

IF YOU ARE AN OLDER PERSON, stay at home and away from other people. 

IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A SERIOUS UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITION that can put you at increased risk (for example, a condition that impairs your lung or heart function or weakens your immune system), stay home and away from other people. 

DO YOUR PART TO SLOW THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS

Work or engage in schooling FROM HOME whenever possible. 

IF YOU WORK IN A CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, such as financial services, you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule.  Follow CDC guidance to protect your health. 

AVOID SOCIAL GATHERINGS in groups of more than 10 people. 

Avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts - USE DRIVE-THRU, PICKUP, OR DELIVERY OPTIONS. 

AVOID DISCRETIONARY TRAVEL, shopping trips, and social visits. 

DO NOT VISIT nursing homes or retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance. 

PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE:
  • Wash your hands, especially after touching any frequently used item or surface. 
  • Avoid touching your face. 
  • Sneeze or cough into a tissue or inside of your elbow. 
  • Disinfect frequently used items and surfaces as much as possible. 

Sources:

Dr Gundry Podcast - https://drgundry.com/dr-gundry-talks-coronavirus/ 

World Health Organization - https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Center for Disease Control (CDC) - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus vs the Flu - https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu 

CDC Travel Recommendations for Watch Level 1 Locations - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/faqs.html 

Science Alert Opinion on Reaction to Coronavirus - https://www.sciencealert.com/infectious-disease-researcher-explains-why-the-coronavirus-is-bringing-out-the-worst-in-us 

CNBC New Mortgage Refinance Applications Spike - https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/mortgage-refinance-applications-spike-79percent-as-interest-rates-sink.html?&qsearchterm=mortgage%20applications 

CNBC Fed Cuts Rates to Zero - ​https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/15/federal-reserve-cuts-rates-to-zero-and-launches-massive-700-billion-quantitative-easing-program.html?&qsearchterm=fed%20cut%20rate%20zero

Disclosure:

Always consult your medical professional before taking any new supplements or making changes to your current health regiment. We recommend that you follow the guidance of the CDC and Federal, State, and Local governments.

​The information in this article is not intended as medical advice. It is simply information gathered so you can determine the best path to take in conjunction with specific information regarding your situation learned from consulting your health care provider.