Last night I had an interaction with a notary that I can’t just shrug off—not because my feelings were hurt, but because it highlights a bigger issue that impacts borrowers, lenders, title companies, and the reputation of our entire profession.

This morning, the notary told me I was “rude and unprofessional.” And honestly? I’m not here to debate tone-policing when the real problem is far more serious:

A notary accepted an appointment for a real estate closing… and then didn’t show up. No call. No email. No message. Nothing.

And that is never okay.

When You Accept a Closing, You Accept a Responsibility

Real estate signings aren’t casual appointments. They’re time-sensitive transactions tied to rate locks, funding schedules, moving trucks, work schedules, childcare logistics—real life.

So if you accept an appointment for a purchase, sale, refinance, loan modification, or any other closing, you accept an obligation:

• Show up and complete the signing, or
• Communicate immediately if something prevents you from doing so.

That communication can be a phone call, a text, an email—anything. But it has to happen before you disappear.

A no-call, no-show isn’t a “misunderstanding.”
It isn’t “confusion.”
It isn’t “just one signing.”

It’s a breach of trust.

This Wasn’t a Communication Gap. Expectations Were Clear.

I want to be very clear: this wasn’t a situation where someone was thrown into something without guidance.

When the order was assigned, someone from my office spoke with the notary for about 10 minutes. Expectations were explained. There was no mystery about what was required or what the assignment involved.

The appointment time was 6:30 PM.

At 6:38 PM, we reached out because the signer was waiting and nobody knew what was happening. Her explanation was essentially:
“I tried the phone number in the text.”

So I asked basic follow-up questions that any professional would expect:

• Did you call the company phone number listed in the order?
• Did you call back the number that contacted you earlier?
• Did you email us?

Her answer was: No.

Then she said she didn’t go because she “didn’t have documents.”

But the documents were available on the website, and I could see she hadn’t even viewed the order.

And when asked to log in and go to the appointment? Her response was:
“No, I won’t go.”

Yes, I Was Angry. And No, I’m Not Apologizing for That.

Could my tone have been sharp? Probably.

But let’s be honest: if you no-call, no-show for a closing and then refuse to correct it when contacted, you should expect the conversation to be uncomfortable. This is serious work, and the consequences aren’t theoretical.

Here’s what happens when a notary doesn’t show up:

• The borrower feels confused, stressed, and disrespected.
• The lender and title company are forced into damage control.
• The signing company looks unreliable.
• Deadlines get missed, funding gets delayed, and the entire transaction can be put at risk.

And whether people want to admit it or not, that notary isn’t just representing themselves in that moment. They are representing:

• the signing service
• the title company
• the lender
• and, ultimately, the professionalism of notaries as a whole

I Support Notaries. I Will Help You. But I Will Not Normalize This.

This part matters to me, so I’m going to say it plainly:

I will do whatever I can for the notary community.

I give free information.
I share resources.
I answer questions.
I will walk you through a signing if you’re nervous.
I want notaries to succeed.

But what I will not do is pretend it’s acceptable to take an assignment and then decide not to go—especially at the last minute—and not tell anyone.

I’m not going to hold someone’s hand and say, “It’s okay.” Because it isn’t.

If you accept the assignment, you have a professional obligation to:

1. view the order
2. confirm what you need
3. communicate immediately if anything is unclear
4. and show up

“It Was Horrifying for Me.”

After I followed up in writing this morning explaining why the no-call, no-show was unacceptable, the notary responded that I was “mean” and that the experience was “horrifying” for her.

Horrifying… for you?

What about the borrower who was waiting?
What about the closing that got disrupted?
What about the companies now scrambling to fix a problem that didn’t need to exist?

This isn’t about being “nice.” It’s about being accountable.

The Standard We Need to Protect

If you want to thrive in this industry—and if we want the notary profession to be respected—then we have to protect the standard.

Accountability isn’t “mean.”
Standards aren’t “rude.”
Integrity isn’t optional.

If you accept a signing:

• show up, or
• communicate immediately and take responsibility.

Because at the end of the day, this work isn’t about us. It’s about serving the signer—professionally, ethically, and with integrity.