I’ve been a notary since 1995, and I’ve never seen as many new signing agents as I’m seeing in Las Vegas right now. Pull up the Las Vegas directory on one of the big signing platforms and you’ll find more than 130 pages of local notaries. That’s well over 1,300 people in one metro area.
Some of that is a good thing. More notaries means more availability and fair prices. But it also means the person who shows up at your kitchen table with a 150-page loan package might have learned the job from a weekend course and a handful of TikTok videos. So let’s talk about what’s behind the boom, what it’s doing to the industry, and what you should ask before you let anyone notarize your documents.
Why are there so many new signing agents?
In short, it’s easy to get into, and social media makes it look like easy money.
Getting started is quick. In Nevada, you take a three-hour online state course, pass the exam, buy a $10,000 surety bond, file it with the county clerk, and apply for your commission. Signing agent certification is a separate private credential, and you can finish it online in a few days.
Social media sells the dream. Scroll TikTok, Instagram or YouTube and you’ll find plenty of signing agents talking about $75 to $200 per appointment and “six-figure” side hustles. CNBC ran a widely shared story about a 25-year-old agent who brought in close to $150,000 in a year, mostly by marketing herself on TikTok. Her success is real. It just isn’t what most people’s first year looks like.
Some course sellers benefit from the rush. Over on Notary Cafe, one of the biggest notary forums out there, longtime agents have pointed out that some training companies make money twice. They sell the course, then hire their own graduates at low rates. Plenty of newcomers say they spent around $1,000 on training, a bond and supplies before they ever got their first signing.
People want flexible income. With the economy feeling uncertain, a lot of folks are looking for side work they can do on their own schedule. Loan signing gets pitched as one of the most flexible options there is.
What this is doing to the industry
Fees keep dropping. Veteran agents are reporting offers as low as $50 for a full loan package that used to pay $150 or more. When hundreds of agents are competing for the same job, the platforms tend to reward whoever says yes first and cheapest. That isn’t always the person best qualified to do it.
There are more agents, but not more loans. Nationally, there are about 4.4 million commissioned notaries, according to the NNA’s latest census. At the same time, the Mortgage Bankers Association lowered its 2026 refinance forecast in August to $713 billion, because higher rates are keeping a lot of homeowners from refinancing. Refinances have always been a big part of a signing agent’s work. Fewer loans split among more agents means less work for each one, and more temptation to cut corners or prices.
Experience is getting spread thin. A loan package can easily run past 100 pages. There are deeds of trust, notes, disclosures and rescission forms, and every page has to be signed, dated and initialed correctly. One missed signature or wrong date can hold up funding, force a re-sign or push back your closing. New agents can absolutely learn this. The problem is that many of them learn it on your transaction.
Fraud is on the rise. In its 2026 study, the American Land Title Association found that 59% of title companies saw at least one seller impersonation attempt in the past year. In 2024, that number was 28%. Vacant land and rental properties are common targets, and we have plenty of both here in the valley. ALTA even lists a “seller-selected notary” as a warning sign. A notary who rushes through ID checks is exactly who a scammer hopes to find.
Here’s the upside. All this competition rewards the professionals who put in the work: the training, the insurance and the years of experience. If you know what to ask, it’s easy to tell who’s who.
What to ask before anyone notarizes your documents
A real professional will answer every one of these without hesitating, and won’t mind if you double-check.
| Ask for | What a good answer sounds like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| An active Nevada commission | Their commission number and expiration date. You can look it up yourself on the Nevada Secretary of State’s notary search. | Commissions run four years. An expired or out-of-state commission can put your notarization in question. |
| Signing agent certification | A current certification, like the NNA Certified Notary Signing Agent, renewed every year. | It shows they’ve been trained on loan documents and passed an exam. A state commission alone doesn’t cover that. |
| A recent background screening | One completed in the last 12 months. | The mortgage industry expects a yearly check. Most lenders won’t send work to someone without it. |
| Errors & omissions (E&O) insurance | An active policy of at least $25,000. More is better. | Nevada doesn’t require it, which is exactly why you should ask. It’s what covers you if the notary makes an expensive mistake. |
| Surety bond | Yes, the $10,000 bond the state requires. | The bond is there to protect the public, but it maxes out at $10,000. |
| A notary journal | Yes, every notarization gets logged. | Nevada requires one for paper notarizations. If anything is ever challenged, that journal is the record. |
| Real loan signing experience | How many years and roughly how many closings. | An experienced agent catches the missed initial before the package goes back to the lender, not after. |
| Fees up front | Notary fees within state limits, plus any travel fee agreed on before the appointment. | Nevada caps notary fees and requires travel fees to be agreed in advance. No surprises. |
A quick word on E&O insurance versus the bond. A lot of people assume the bond fully protects them. It doesn’t. It tops out at $10,000, and the bonding company can come after the notary to get that money back. E&O insurance is a separate policy. In my experience, a notary who carries it is a notary who takes the business seriously.
Watch out for red flags. Be careful if a notary can’t give you a commission number, rushes you to sign without really checking your ID, doesn’t keep a journal, or was recommended by a stranger in a property sale you didn’t start.
The bottom line
New signing agents aren’t the problem. Every one of us started somewhere. The problem is assuming every notary stamp offers the same protection. Ask the questions above, check the answers, and go with the professional who’s happy to be checked.
About the author: John Yurasits, MBA, MSHRM, owns Yuri Notary in Las Vegas. He has been a notary since 1995 and NNA certified since 2010. He served on Pennsylvania’s notary complaints advisory committee and is a Nevada Certified Document Preparer. Looking for a signing agent who checks every box? Contact Yuri Notary.
Sources
- National Notary Association: How to become a Nevada Notary
- National Notary Association: Notary Signing Agent certification
- National Notary Association: 2022 Notary Census, 4.4 million U.S. notaries
- Open Exam Prep: Professional standards, E&O and background screening
- Snapdocs: Notary Public directory, Las Vegas, NV
- Notary2Pro: Navigating fee challenges in today’s loan signing industry (April 2025)
- Notary Cafe Forums: Oversaturation of the loan signing agent business (January 2025)
- CNBC Make It via NBC Bay Area: Profile of a 25-year-old signing agent (2023)
- Scotsman Guide: MBA raises rate forecast, slashes refinance outlook (August 2026)
- Florida Realtors: Seller impersonation fraud attempts rise, ALTA study (September 2026)