Here’s wishing the Luck of the Irish to you on this, the greenest day of the year! I hope you’re wearing your green today or you might get a lucky pinch.

While I’ve helped many clients of many nationalities, I’m pretty sure I’ve never helped a Leprechaun, but who knows, today might be my lucky day!

Please remember that I am always just a phone call or email away should you have questions about notarizing any document. I am always glad to help any way that I can!

Now if I could only find the end of that rainbow and the pot o’ gold waiting for me….

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Tonight is the night to set your clocks FORWARD one hour as we move into the warmer weather and longer days of spring!

Even though you’re losing an hour today, Bay Area Mobile Notary is always available to meet you – day or night at your home or office to help with any document notarizations you might need.

The Signature Notary Process

Remember, that we travel to you for a minimal charge of $20 + notarization fees ($10/signature).

Questions about what is required to notarize your document? Give me a call, I can answer many basic questions over the phone saving you time and money.

When you’re ready to meet, I’ll schedule a 15 minute appointment with you – most document notarizations take less than 5 minutes!

If you need more time or have additional questions once I arrive, that’s ok too! My goal is exceed your expectations!

Call me today at: 408-777-8500

Valnetines Day is for lovers!

I hope that you get to spend time with that special someone in your life today!

Please remember that I am always just a phone call or email away should you have questions about notarizing any document. I am always glad to help any way that I can!

Here’s wishing that Cupid finds you on this special day.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Not All Notary Public's Created The Same

Are All Notaries Created The Same?

While all California notary public’s are the same with respect to taking the required notary classes, passing a State of California mandated exam, as well as passing the Federal (FBI) and California Department of Justice background checks – the level of service provided is definitely not equal.

Many Notary Public’s

There are many notary public’s that work full-time and specialize in a specific field such as real estate documents, estate planning documents, banking / financial documents, medical documents or business documents and some notary’s who only work part-time, without an area of expertise.  For many notaries, staying up on the notary laws and best notary practices is a difficult task.

Bay Area Mobile Notary

At Bay Area Mobile Notary, I stay up to date on the latest changes and legal requirements with regard to document and signature notarization within the state of California. If you ever have a question about document notarization – please give me a call, I’m here to help. While I am unable to give legal advice, I never charge for phone consultations for determining the best course of action to help you get your document notarized in the quickest an most efficient way possible.

You can call me day or night at 408-777-8500 or send me an email at: neil@bayareamobilenotary.com

Bay Area Mobile Notary Service

I provide on-site notary services throughout Silicon Valley and the South Bay Area.

There’s never a need to come to me – I’ll do the traveling and come to you when you need me.

My schedule is very flexible and can usually accommodate evening, weekend and holiday appointments.

For more information about my services please call or email me any time for more information.

Direct Cell – 408.777.8500

Please leave a message I typically return calls within 15 minutes!

Email – neil@bayareamobilenotary.com

]]> http://bayareamobilenotary.com/2012/01/24/neil-lieb-notary-public-provides-mobile-notary-service-throughout-silcon-valley/feed/ 2 http://bayareamobilenotary.com/2012/01/14/senior-citizens-special-notary-requests/ http://bayareamobilenotary.com/2012/01/14/senior-citizens-special-notary-requests/#comments Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:11:34 +0000 admin http://bayareamobilenotary.wordpress.com/?p=584 Senior Citizens Special Notary Requests

It’s a difficult call – both to take and receive. I pick up the phone and the person on the other end is often in a panic. There’s a document that *MUST* be notarized, signed by their elderly parent or relative who is in poor health.

These situations are difficult, because the signer often may not fully understand what is going on – perhaps they are days or weeks away from dying. Yet, as often happens in life, there are legal, financial or real estate documents that must be signed by the elderly individual to give the adult child or caretaker the ability to handle the affairs of the aging person.

No Coersion

When I get these sorts of requests, as a Notary Public, I must be careful that the person signing the document is doing so of their own free will. It is a felony to coerce another person to sign a document giving up financial or legal control. Luckily, I’ve never witnessed this happen, but if I do, I am required to report the action to the police as well as the California Secretary of State so that they may investigate the matter involving the notarized signature.

In order to complete the notarization, I need be able to identify (ID) the signer. In the case of an elderly signer, the biggest problem I have is that what ever form of identification they may have had, has most likely expired. If you care for an elderly individual it is a good idea to have them apply for and keep an active and valid California ID card. The card is not a license to drive (although it looks similar) and is valid for 10 years.

In cases where an identification card is not available – as Notary Public I can use what are known as “Credible Witnesses”. If I can locate two (2) credible witnesses who can provide me with their own valid identification card and vouch that the signer is who they say they are, then I can complete the signature notarization. This can be handy when the elderly document signer has no valid ID.

The difficulty with using this method, is that neither of the credible witnesses can have a beneficial interest in the document – that is they can not stand to gain something, typically financial, after the document is notarized. For those signers living in a retirement community, my task of locating credible witnesses is often a bit easier, as in house care-takers or maintenance people can often provide the required statements.

Planning Ahead

If you need a document notarized by your elderly parent or relative, you should do a little pre-planning before contacting the notary. You should locate the signer’s valid picture ID – State Drivers License or ID card or Passport. If neither of these documents are available, locating two credible witnesses (neighbors or caretakers) should be your next step.

Finally, have a talk with the signer about the document that needs to be notarized – they should understand as best they can, why they are signing and why the Notary Public is helping with the document preparation.

Call Me For Help

If you have questions about the notarization process – give me a call or drop me an email – I’m here to help!

So You Want To Be A Notary Public? – Obtaining your Commission

In Part 1 of “So You Want To Be A Notary Public”, I discussed the required classes, that you must attend  either online or in person,  as well as the California state mandated test. After taking the 6 hour class and taking the test your next step is to…… wait….

The Wait….

The State of California doesn’t often get in too big of a hurry when processing the Notary Public tests. As such you may get your test results in 1 week or you might have to wait up to 1 month. In most cases you will receive your test results within about 10 business days and even faster if you provide the testing facility with your email address.

Unfortunately, while you’re waiting for your test results there isn’t much else you can do to help the Notary commission process move along. So wait you must.

The Big Day!

You’ll know that your test results are on their way when you start receiving Notary Public supply offers from various vendors in the mail. You will normally receive these materials the day *BEFORE* you receive your actual test results.

Selling Notary Public supplies is big business and there are no lack of vendors to choose from when buying your supplies – but we’ll talk about that a bit later (in part 3)…

The day has arrived and there it is, sitting in your mailbox – the non-descript white envelope from the California Secretary of State with your Notary Public test results.

Congratulations! You’ve passed the Notary Public Exam and now it’s time to get your background check completed.

Along with the test results will be instructions on where to obtain the Live Scan Form for your background check. You’ll need to print out the Live Scan Form and locate a finger print “rolling location” near you. Many local police or sheriff stations offer Live Scan services and many offer or require an appointment.

I suggest obtaining an appointment as many of the Live Scan locations have limited hours and tend to get very busy with walk-in traffic.

What does the background check cost?

To complete your Notary Public background check, you will need both a State of California and a Federal (FBI) background check. You’ll pay a separate fee for each of these checks. In addition, each Live Scan location may charge a service fee for providing the fingerprinting service.

As of early 2011 when I last has my background check completed the fees were as follows:

• State of California Fee:  $32.00
• Federal / FBI Fee:  $19.00
• Fingerprint Service Fee:  $20.00
• Total Fee: $71.00

After completing your finger printing, you’ll again get to wait while the background checks are completed. This too will take about 10 business days on average, before your results will be forwarded to the California Secretary of State.

Once the Secretary of State has received and reviewed you fingerprint / background check results they will forward your Notary Public Commission to you in the mail.

In the next installment of  “So You Want To Be A Notary Public”, I’ll show you how to complete the application process and give you some tips on how to get your business off to a quick start.

Stay tuned…

I’m really looking forward to 2012 and working hard to make it my best year yet! I hope that this New Year finds you healthy and happy!

Notary Service Available

Even during the holiday season I am still available to help you with your mobile document notarization needs. I can meet you just about anywhere in the South Bay / Silicon Valley area. It’s a hectic time of year and my schedule tends to get booked pretty quickly, so give me a call and I’ll do my best to fit you in.

Bay Area Mobile Notary’s 9th Year of Service

It’s hard to believe that Bay Area Mobile Notary service was started way back in 2003 – that’s over nine years of continuous service helping people through out Silicon Valley and the Peninsula.

It’s been a great time of meeting many folks and learning about many different businesses and the legal documents that go with them. I’m always looking for a new challenge so if you have a document that needs notarization, please give me a call!

As 2011 draws to a close I wanted to wish all of my clients a Happy Holiday season!

I’ve enjoyed helping so many of you with your document notarization needs. What I love about this business is the diversity both in the people I meet as well as the documents and situations I’m introduced to each day.

Client Diversity

By talking to and meeting with so many of you I get to hear the stories of your lives. But equally fascinating to me is that I get a small glimpse of how our country and our economy as whole is doing. We all know that the last few years have been very tough on many people – but the good news is that I’m seeing more and more signs that as we move into 2012 the job market and the economy are on the mend and getting stronger each day.

Happy New Year 2012

I hope that each one of you will be able to spend time this Holiday Season with friends and family and just take a short break before we jump back into a great new year in 2012!

Please remember that I am always just a phone call or email away should you have questions about notarizing any document. I am always glad to help any way that I can.

Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year!

Neil

Often times, I’ll get a call from a client looking to get a few documents notarized who will ask where we can meet.

Because the basis of my business service is that I’m mobile and will travel, I suggest that I can meet them either at their home or office as long as they are within my ~20 mile travel radius. Because of the sensitive nature of many of the documents I notarize, the client may not want to have their documents notarized in the presence of friends, family or co-workers, so finding a neutral location to meet is sometimes important.

I have met many customers at one of the various local Peet’s coffee houses either near my office or their’s. Peet’s is the perfect place as they have the following benefits:

•  Comfortable work spaces with clean tables and chairs
•  Well lit – documents are easily readable
•  Wifi for Internet Access – while there’s no printer, we can always double check facts via the web
•  Quiet – well it’s quiet enough to carry on a conversation about notarizing the document in question
•  It’s Safe – my clients and I can carryout our business quickly, efficiently without distractions

The other obvious benefit is that there is a Peet’s on just about every corner in town, so finding a convenient location is a breeze. Most weekday mornings I work remotely on my various business enterprises and move between a few different Peet’s in the Silicon Valley and South Bay.

A few of my favorite locations include:

• 1330 El Paseo De Saratoga San Jose (408) 871-0907
• 12148 Saratoga Sunnyvale Road Saratoga (408) 213-0433
• 22350 Homestead Road Cupertino (408) 636-1850

If you need a document notarized, give me a call @ 408.777.8500

I’m always available to meet you at your home, office or of course your local Peet’s where you’ll not only get some great coffee but your document notarized as well!