Ep # 189 - A Mobile Notary Can Meet You Where Life Happens

A notary can feel like a last-minute checkbox until you’re the one staring at time-sensitive paperwork and realizing one missing witness can derail the whole plan. We talk with Robert Young, owner of State Line Notary, about what notarization actually is: verifying identity, watching the signature happen, and creating a record that helps a document hold up when it’s questioned later. If you’ve ever searched for a mobile notary near you during a real estate closing, estate plan signing, or court-related form, this conversation brings the process down to earth.

Robert shares how he discovered the business after a mobile notary came to his home for a refinance and sparked a deep dive into the profession. From there, we get practical about where mobile notarization makes the biggest difference, including hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living communities where people may be updating a will or executing a power of attorney but can’t easily travel. We also unpack how remote online notarization works, what it’s good for, and why it can be a lifesaver for international signers or families spread across multiple locations.

We dig into the details that most people don’t learn until it’s too late: witness requirements, why witnesses should be independent for estate planning, and how the rules can change across the New York and New Jersey border. Robert also explains how fees are typically structured for mobile notary service, how travel and witness coordination affect cost, and how he approaches scheduling so clients are not caught short on signing day. Subscribe, share this with someone dealing with paperwork right now, and leave a review with the biggest notary question you still have.

State Line Notary
Robert Young
statelinenotarynynj@gmail.com
(845) 418-3486
statelinenotary.com

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

Intro/Close 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Doug Drohan.

Doug Drohan 0:11

One welcome to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. I am your host, Doug Drohan, the owner of the Bergen Neighbors Media Group. Today we have uh a guest. I haven't had someone with his specialty before on the show. It's been almost 190 episodes, but there's always a great story behind every business. And today it's it's Robert Young, the owner of Statewide Notary. Rob, well welcome to the show. Thank you.

Rob Young 0:33

Thank you for having me, Doug. Appreciate it.

Doug Drohan 0:35

So

What A Notary Actually Does

Doug Drohan 0:36

we met at a uh senior networking uh, you know, kind of group or event. And um, so you know, you are there for a reason. So I think you know, a lot of people know you know they need a document notarize, but what is a notary? And then, you know, what uh how did you you know get into this business?

Rob Young 0:56

Uh so uh a notary is quite simply it's it's uh an official uh commissioned by the Secretary of State uh of this, whatever state you're in. In my case, it happens to be New York. I'm also dual commissioned, so it's also New Jersey as well. And uh and we basically are there to verify the identity of somebody and then watch them sign the document and then put our stamp and our uh signature on that to say that we have indeed seen this person. We verified their identity and we watched them sign the document. So um I got into it uh several years ago, uh, 2021, my wife and I were refinancing our house and we were taking advantage of the low rates at the time and um came down to closing time and I figured I said, What uh um you know, title company or lawyer's office do I need to go to to sign these documents? And they're like, No, we're sending somebody to you. And I'm like, What do you mean you're sending somebody to me? Um, so they sent a mobile notary to my house and and signed all the documents, and the person stamped and did everything. And I said, I was so fascinated by what they did. I was like, tell me what this is, like you know, and kind of probably took twice as long as it should have because I just uh was messing them with so much questions, and then uh went down a YouTube rabbit hole after that and just fent, oh, this is like an actual business. Um, and at the time, I still am, but uh I had rent uh uh real estate investments, and I said, Oh, this would be great. I could help out friends of mine with their real estate investing, you know, doing their closings and whatever.

Doug Drohan 2:26

Right.

Rob Young 2:26

Uh and it was a couple of years before that actually happened, but uh got into it as um a business and uh just thought I'd make hey, maybe I'll make a couple bucks on the side, and then uh really got into it and really love the work. Uh it it kind of feeds into my personality. I love one-to-one or you know, small group conversations. So um, you know, you're you're talking with somebody and they're they're selling a home, they're getting you know a bunch of money, they're you know, moving on to the next phase of life, they're buying a home, you know, same thing.

Doug Drohan 2:55

Right.

Rob Young 2:55

Um, you know, uh they could be signing their estate plans and they they love doing that. And it's just that one thing that's been on the list for years that they need to they need to take action on.

Doug Drohan 3:05

So just something I I love to do. So

Estate Plans In Care Facilities

Doug Drohan 3:09

so I guess the estate planning side is why you're we met at a senior networking event.

Rob Young 3:15

Yes. So I do a lot of work in um hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living communities, um, particularly with people that you know maybe changing their estate plan or putting one into place, um, and they can't leave you know the facility, or it's very difficult to get them out.

Doug Drohan 3:33

Right.

Rob Young 3:33

Um, so I come to them and I bring the witnesses and it makes it just you know as quick and easy and stress-free as possible for them to uh get their notarization done.

Doug Drohan 3:43

And who pays for your services? Is it the lawyer or is it the actual uh you know person who needs who's signing the documents?

Rob Young 3:51

Typically it's the person that's signing the documents, but uh it can vary. Um, I have some attorneys that I work with that I do estate planning for and they pay me directly. Um and uh most of them will just have the uh the signer pay me. Um or if the signer's contacted me directly, obviously they're paying then.

Doug Drohan 4:08

So right, right. So I see, you know, usually you don't think about a notary until somebody says you need your document notarized. Exactly. See it on you know, Facebook, somebody's asking, hey, anyone know anyone who knowed, you know, was a notary. Um, like how how do you get your name out there? And how do people, aside from your friends and and referrals, how do people find you?

Rob Young 4:31

Uh so I have my my website, which is stateline notary.com. Um, I have my Google business page, uh, which I've worked very hard to uh to build up. And uh I have 300 plus uh five star reviews on Google. Um, so I think I'm doing a pretty good job there. And uh and just a lot of networking. Uh, you know, you and I met at a networking event, and uh uh I I I always say if the day ends in Y, I'm probably out networking somewhere. So um never stops.

Doug Drohan 5:00

So yeah, yeah. Nice.

Mobile Notary And Remote Online

Doug Drohan 5:03

So it you know, I mean, I guess I'm trying to think. I mean, obviously, I've I've bought homes before, I've had my my documents notarized. Um, you know, there's uh I think there was someone in my neighborhood who came to my house, but is it is it unusual to be a mobile notary, or is that something that's more common now? It's more common now.

Rob Young 5:22

Um, you know, you you you look at we love service-based businesses, you know, we we got uh, you know, uh there was takeout, and then you know, somebody said, Hey, let's do delivery, and then there's Uber, you know, Uber Eats or, you know, uh DoorDash. So it's it's you know, we we get so used to being able to order services through our phone right to our doorstep. So it's not uh it's not that unusual anymore. Um I have several friends in the county that are also mobile notaries, but uh I'm part of many larger communities of notaries around the uh United States, and uh, you know, a lot of people doing uh a lot of interesting things that I don't really touch on, you know. Uh that there's there's obviously real estate and estate planning. Um, I'm really I I do some family law. Uh I do the remote notarization, which is the notarization through the computer. Um, it's very similar to like if you took Zoom and DocuSign and combined these two technologies. Okay. Exactly. Just like this, we see each other on camera and um we see the document, and you would apply a digital representation of your signature. I would uh apply my signature and stamp. And then when the session is over, the document gets emailed to you. So it's very easy, particularly if you have international signers that may be transacting real estate or something like that. They live here, but they might be abroad for you know whatever reason. So um, yeah, that's uh you know, a lot of different aspects of notary. Um, I focus on the ones that I I like doing, um, you know, but uh there's many, many out there.

Witness Rules And Fair Fees

Doug Drohan 6:59

Right. I mean, there's I mean, if you're assigning a power of attorney, I guess, does that need to be notarized if you're assigning a POA or absolutely uh state and and and different states have different rules.

Rob Young 7:11

So in the state of New York, um I can actually be it requires two witnesses, and the state of New York, I can be one of those witnesses. That's uh that's one of the rules of the state. But I go across the border to New Jersey and uh I cannot be one of those witnesses. So if I I'm doing a power of attorney in New Jersey, I have to bring two witnesses with me rather than just one. So um, and I identified that as kind of a uh, you know, they always say, What's your superpower? Well, I I started developing pools of witnesses around uh Rockland and Bergen and Westchester counties so that when I get a call and I need something that needs to be notarized with a witness, uh, I've got multiple people I can call.

Doug Drohan 7:50

So they hop in a car and come with you or meet you there?

Rob Young 7:53

Yep. And I I just, you know, people say, Oh, I need a witness too. I say, okay, here's how much it is additional for the witness, and uh, you know, they they will pay for the witness service.

Doug Drohan 8:02

Okay, okay. Now I don't imagine it's that expensive, right? Or or is it something that c I mean, uh like you don't have a choice if you need your document notarized, you need it notarized, and if you need witnesses, now it can't be like if I'm signing a document, the witnesses can't be my witnesses that I you know invite along like a wife or a friend.

Rob Young 8:23

So typically, uh it depending on what the document is, you typically don't want family members uh being witnesses, and nor should they be named in the document. So if you're having people witnessing you signing your will, um, they should not be direct family members at all, nor should they, if they're mentioned in the document, forget them. Yeah. Um, so I bring that's why I bring independent witnesses that you know, people that don't know, don't know you. And uh in that way they they're impartial. Uh the witnesses are required to write down their address so that you know, say 15 years from now, you you pass away and your your uh will is being going through the probate process, and somebody says, you know, there's a dispute here, they can reach out and try to track down those witnesses because they provided an address. You know, they may not live there anymore, but you know, the the attorneys that are handling that will will go find them and uh you know get testimony out of them if necessary. But yeah, uh you you don't want um you don't want family, and you definitely don't want anybody that's mentioned in the document. Beyond that, it's really anybody that's over the age of 18 has a valid ID, and in my case, they need to be able to drive. So they'll meet me at the uh, you know, wherever I'm going. So and in terms of cost, um, so the state affords us uh a travel fee. And uh, so it's not gonna be, you know, this is not the the free service of your library or or the you know state um maximum that they can charge per stamp. There is a travel fee involved, so it depends on where we're going, what what's being notarized, how many notarizations, and you know, distance travel, time that's gonna take, like that.

Service Area And Real Demand

Doug Drohan 10:02

So got it. And uh and traveling wise, so you you mentioned you go to Bergen County or New Jersey, so you go to Bergen and Pase counties, and Oregon Bergen, you'll go to South Bergen, you'll go down.

Rob Young 10:14

Yep. I uh I have one attorney that calls me regularly that um uh you know rents a an office down in uh Rutherford, so right across from Giant Stadium, basically. And uh I'll go down there. Um I have uh Rockland and Westchester in New York and then Bergen and Passaic in New Jersey. That's my general area. Um if somebody wants to pay the travel fee, I'll look at you know, um beyond that, you know, there's uh case can be made for eastern Orange County or or southern Putnam counties in New York or you know Essex County in New Jersey.

Doug Drohan 10:50

Okay. Well, you don't want to go to the metal lines today because the World Cups uh there's a world cup in that place, but yeah you don't want to be anywhere near there. No, I also think it's gonna rain. But uh so have has business been steady, or do you are there ebbs and flows? I mean, obviously the real estate market's a little bit slower because there's less inventory. Um, but aside from that, like is it just you know, you feel like there's always a need and it's it's a pretty steady uh business group?

Rob Young 11:17

There is always a need. It's um it's not uh it's not always real estate. Um, you know, when when rates go up, um you know, people may not be buying or selling as much. Um, and you know, you had a lot of people that came out of COVID where they refinanced, pulled cash out of their house, and then got this super low, you know, two percent, two and a half percent interest rate. Yeah, that's never gonna come back. So they don't they don't want to move. Right. Um, but you know, you sometimes life intervenes and they have to move. So, you know, real estate kind of goes up and down. You definitely see upticks when they they cut the rates. Yeah, uh, but then you also I also do the estate planning, family law, and just general notarizations, you know. I mean, business of everyday life, people need to have documents notarized, whether it's uh an affidavit for court, uh, right after this, uh, right after this recording, I'm going to meet somebody that's uh transferring a car. Um that needs a DMV uh piece of paper. Uh you know, in New York, there's not actually a whole lot of things uh for the DMV that need to be notarized, but in this case it was a deceased relative and they're transferring the car, and that actually does need notarization.

How To Book And Lead Time

Doug Drohan 12:26

So oh wow, oh good to know. That's interesting. So, how would people uh you mentioned you have a website, so how would they find you? How do people reach you?

Rob Young 12:34

So they can reach me at uh stateline notary.com uh is my website. They can follow me on uh Instagram if they'd like, uh at State Line Notary, uh, or just give me a call and all the details are on my website. Uh or that they're in uh they're in the Rockland County area, they can Google me and uh just look up State Line Notary and you'll see it appear in the list of uh notaries in the area.

Doug Drohan 12:58

Well, I gotta tell you, um I did Google you and um I mean I typed in your name, but the first business that came up was State Line Notary. And then something called mobile, whatever I won't say the full name, and then some others that are like in New York City, uh one in White Plains, but yeah, you're the one on top. So it's working. It's working, yeah, yeah. That's great. Um, so I uh you mentioned they can call you, but why don't we just uh mention your phone number, which is uh well, do you uh what 845-418-3486?

Rob Young 13:34

Okay, is my phone number. If you want to schedule an appointment, uh you can also make an appointment on my website, although that's gonna trigger a phone call because you know there is a large variety of documents that be notarized, and I want to make sure that uh some people, you know, they just say, Oh, I have just a will I want to notarize, and then all of a sudden, you know, it turns into an entire state plan. Right, right. Yeah, I've gotten very good at asking the right questions to make sure that we've got all our bases covered, you know, you don't want to show up and be short of witness or something like that.

Doug Drohan 14:03

So right, right. Yeah, that's interesting. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure if we, you know, go over a lot of different cases where somebody thought it was one thing and it turns into a big, you know, uh and then um, you know, the last question like how far in advance today, like if somebody needs a notary today, um, you know, or you know, if they get told by their attorney, okay, you need to get this notarized, like what kind of lead time should they give you?

Rob Young 14:28

Um, generally a few hours, depending on how my day is looking. Um, I can I can typically get to most people the same day. Uh, however, if there's something that might require uh the setup of witnesses, um, you know, certain family members being in town, that kind of thing, you know. Right. Um, you know, sometimes uh like powers of attorney, you know, you've got the person that's uh the principal and then the agent who's the one receiving the power of attorney, but there's backups to that agent, uh called successor agents, and that might be a child or something like that. And right they might be out of town for you know uh the next two weeks. So you you try to schedule it around people's lives and make sure you can get everything done for them as quickly as possible.

Doug Drohan 15:08

Okay, got it. Well, Rob, thank you very much. Uh, this was definitely educational, and uh, you know, you are a service that everyone needs at some point in their life, so it's great to know who you are and how to get in touch with you. I appreciate you.

Rob Young 15:21

I really appreciate the conversation. Thank you so much.

Doug Drohan 15:24

Yeah, absolutely. All right, so you and I will be right back. We're just gonna have Chuck take us out, and you and I will be right back.

Nominate A Local Business

Intro/Close 15:30

All right. Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpbergen.com. That's gnpbergen.com or call 201 298 8325.