The Questions I Can't Answer

A borrower once looked up from the closing disclosure and asked me, "Is this a good rate?"

I told her I couldn't answer that. It felt cold. Twenty seconds of awkward at her kitchen table, and I'd do it the same way every time.

A notary who explains, interprets, or advises on loan documents is practicing law without a license. If that file is ever disputed, the kitchen-table conversation is the thread somebody pulls. The signature I witness is only as good as the process around it.

So when the questions come, and they always come:

What does this document do?

I read them the title of the document and offer to get you on the phone.

Should I sign this?

Theirs to decide. I don't nudge it, not even a little.

Can you explain this fee?

Yours, not mine. I'd rather pause the signing than guess.

Can I just initial here instead?

No. I follow your instructions, and I call before I improvise.

Most of this job is knowing which questions aren't mine and making the handoff fast enough that the signernever feels stranded.

One thing that would help me: how do you actually want to be reached mid-signing? Cell, office line, text? Tell me before the appointment and it saves us both twenty minutes.