Rockwall Notary Services

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Land of the free, home of the brave.

Pre-order the 2024 Rockwall County Historical Foundation ornament for a $5.00 discount! This is a beautiful ornament and a great way to celebrate the history of Rockwall County!

https://rockwallcountymuseum.com/150th-ornament/

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Scammers tried to steal the title to Elvis Presley's Graceland estate. This one got stopped in time.

Scammers tried to steal Graceland. Here’s how to make sure they don’t get your home | CNN Business Last month, a much-beloved piece of American history was nearly stolen. But it wasn’t a museum heist or a home burglary. It was a fraudulent real estate scheme.

As of today, September 1, 2023, the state-allowed notarial fee in Texas is $10.00 for the first signer within the notarial certificate. The second signer within the same notarial certificate remains an additional $1.00.

Notary commission renewal time! This is my 6th notary commission. (They are good for four years.) Four in Virginia beginning in 2005 and two in Texas beginning in 2018. Notarizing seems like it's easy, but I've pretty much seen it all and I know how to handle all sorts of strange document situations and requests. It's not rocket science but your notary definitely needs to know what he/she is doing. In Texas, it takes $21 and a pulse and you can be a notary. No training or exam required. One main notary stamp, one for small spaces, and a new embosser insert. Embossers are not required in the USA but when documents are going to a foreign country, that country wants to see an embossment. I've had many of my notarizations Apostilled by the state (this authenticates the notary and notarization for the foreign county) and if a notary makes an error (which is common) this will cause your Apostilled document to be rejected for Apostille certification.

Texas has the most notaries of any state. Sadly, Texas requires ZERO training and NO exam - my running joke is that if you have the $21 filing fee and a pulse, you can be a notary in Texas. As a result, most Texas notaries really don't know what they are doing and make notarial mistakes on a daily basis. Every single time I've had my signature notarized, the notary has made some sort of error. When I need my own signature notarized, I now prep the notary certificate so that it's fool-proof.

2022 NNA Notary Census, Part 2: 4.4 million U.S. Notaries are adapting to serve the nation today In Part 2 of our 2022 Notary Census special report, we look at changes in state and nationwide Notary populations from 2017-2022.

Another case of property title fraud in Dallas. In this case, the notary is the perpetrator - she notarized Deeds that transferred the properties into the name of her own company. That's a big no-no. Notaries may not notarize if they are named in the document or if they have any beneficiary interest in the effect of document. Just shameful. I hope this family can get it all sorted out and is able to obtain some financial restitution from the perpetrators.

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/investigates/deed-case-featured-wfaa-results-theft-indictment/287-5d834268-ee43-4433-bb89-ae831ba762cc?fbclid=IwAR2_RNOQpMdQDV3Byot322vnYgiBR_zDT3wq7-1P1TyeJZpofTFjv-OqxZw

Deed case featured on WFAA results in theft indictment A Dallas County grand jury has indicted a couple on a felony theft charge accusing them of a “scheme” to steal nine houses valued at more than a million dollars

Today at an appointment I found out about something called a "Lady Bird Deed". I had never heard of this type of Deed before, so I looked it up on the internet. It's a type of Life Estate Deed that transfers the property to beneficiaries upon the death of the principal and does NOT go through probate. This can also be accomplished by creating a Living Trust and transferring title of the property into your Trust, but filing a Lady Bird Deed is also a great option that I was not previously aware of. Apparently Lady Bird Deeds are not allowed in all states, but it is legal in Texas.

What is a Lady Bird Deed in Texas? Benefits / Disadvantages What is a lady bird deed in Texas? Explore the benefits and disadvantages of using a lady bird deed in Texas, and what it could mean for probate when...

Due to the expected icy weather conditions on Thursday, February 3rd, Rockwall Notary Services will be closed that day. Stay safe, everyone!

This is awesome!!!

https://blueribbonnews.com/2021/10/rockwall-county-clerks-office-to-provide-free-property-fraud-alert-software-for-residents/?fbclid=IwAR3E46KmoqR6b1VC51HTZdyyxaQMSZMZN5w6ZcJgMvtVx6AyGsQjTuM_GZk

Rockwall County Clerk’s office to provide free Property Fraud Alert software for residents ROCKWALL, TX – October 5, 2021 — The Rockwall County Commissioners Court recently approved a proposal from Fidlar Technologies for the County Clerk’s office to provide Property Fraud Alert so…

Texas Health and Human Services publishes several "End of Life" documents for Texans. I am not endorsing these because I am not an attorney and I cannot advise as to the legality of these documents, but I'm just passing along information as it is published by a Texas state agency for public use:

Advance Directives Official website for the State of Texas Health & Human Services Commission

Quicken Willmaker is currently $20 off at the Costco website. This software program makes unlimited Wills, POA's, Advance Medical Directives and one Living Trust. I am not endorsing it - just passing along an economical way for folks to obtain these types of documents. You will still need to pay a notary to have your documents notarized. (Disclaimer from the product description: Documents reflect the laws of your state - estate planning documents are not valid in Canada, Louisiana and US Territories.)

Quicken Willmaker & Trust 2021 Premium, PC or MAC (E-Delivery) Quicken Willmaker & Trust 2021 Premium, PC or MAC (E-Delivery)

Here is a story of what can go wrong when a Notary Public does not do his or her job properly. I'm wondering if the notary got significantly paid off to knowingly fraudulently notarize the property Deed in this story. Just shameful.

Seal to Steal: How a simple seal allowed a couple to steal a home, terrorize a family CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Stephanie Kinley and Jeremy Davis were arrested, charged and convicted of five counts of theft of homes and other property in Cincinnati’...