In what I call a ‘prior life’, about twenty years ago, I earned a living as a Notary Signing agent. I conducted thousands of mobile mortgage loan closings, mostly working directly for title companies. Things got old when title companies and law firms started using notary signing agent intermediaries. They wanted to pay the same fees to them as we were getting paid, and we were offered half or less – but still expected to do all the work and printing. Each signing service had their own ridiculous terms and conditions, expected you to be on time even when documents arrived late, wanted you to do rush jobs including printing for fifty bucks. No thanks.
Fast forward to today, twenty years later, and I’m building tiny cabins with giant decks in the mountains. I was in for a lot of surprises. Starting this year, any change of subcontractors at our local building department now requires a Notary Public That’s right, the new sub-contractor assuming permits must have their signature notarized. No problem, I thought… until I rudely discovered North Carolina has completely outlawed a Notary Public from charging travel fees of any kind. None. Not even if agreed to in advance. Try to get a mobile notary in North Carolina that follows the law. You won’t – because it’s illegal for them to charge you any fee beyond the statutory five dollars.
When I discovered that mobile notary travel fees were completely illegal in North Carolina – the only state in the country to outlaw travel fees – I decided to get my own commission. There was a chance that maybe I could save someone the trouble of finding a mobile Notary in North Carolina.
Find the best Notary supplies for new notary
Notary Seal Stamp
For my stamp, I prefer a blue inked circular design. Circular, because the round design is easily recognizable. Blue ink, because it’s easy to differentiate copy from original.
About including expiration date on stamp… North Carolina does not allow crossing off and correcting an old expiration date on stamps. Some states do allow this. If you want to start with an expiration date, you can easily use a sharp knife to remove it in the future for traditional non-inked or self-inking stamps.
Round Self-Inking Notary Seal Rubber Stamp – North Carolina
Notary Raised Embossed Seal
Although not required, some documents requesting notarization could require an embossed seal. In some states, this notary seal can just read NOTARY PUBLIC. In North Carolina, it must be personalized to include notary name. It could optionally include expiration date.
Premium Notary Seal Embosser – North Carolina
Notarial Acts Notary Log Book
When I did a high volume of notary acts, it was important to have a large book with plenty of room. Even then, I had at least a dozen or more. These days, I don’t plan to do many notarizations. But I still want to keep a record. There’s also new concerns about privacy, so one entry per page works much better.
Notary Supply Bag
Last item on my list is something new to me. I had never had any sort of satchal or bag for my notary supplies. Technology has changed, and now they have inexpensive fire resistant bags. They call it fireproof and waterproof, but I’ve not tested it. Seems reasonable to use this type of bag to protect the all important notary log.
Conclusion
Everyone becomes a Notary Public for different reasons. At the time of this writing, all of the supplies above costs less than $50 on Amazon. If you’re budget conscious and have low volume needs, this will work great.
