I still vividly remember, the first time that I encountered a document requiring notarization was when my roommates and I intended to move out. The property management company required our intent letter to be properly notarized.

Just like what many people would do, I first turned to Google and found a couple of notary directories that listed out the notary services near me, but some sites didn’t list out the direct contact information, while the majority of the notaries didn’t list out the service prices. It was not very customer-friendly. To make things easier, I leaned toward to have the document notarized by mobile notary, who travels to your location to notarize the document. However I was concerned about the service fees. (Due to this personal experience, when I become a Notary I also want to be the one who is transparent about the prices)

Back then, I didn’t know there may be free notarization service at your local banks, and UPS stores may also offer notarizations with a fee. Now we even have remote online notarization approved by most of the states, and Maryland is one of them (MD Senate Bill 678, see the summary from NNA; more about remote online notarization later).

After being a notary public, I have learned that there are some reputable websites that one can find a notary service nearby other than simply relying on Google or Yelp. Those websites verify the notary’s commission, so you won’t have to worry about stumble on scammers or anything. Here are some of them (though you still need to contact each notary or visit their website to learn the service fees):

• Maryland Secretary of State Notary Search – This directory only listed notaries by county, not by city/town. You can verify if your notary is still in active commission.
• 123Notary
• National Notary Association – They are the largest notary knowledge and training center. They have a directory for you to find Notary Signing Agent for real estate works, while they are still working on a directory for general notary public.
• American Association of Notaries – They are also a good knowledge center, and a reputable association recommended by many notaries.
• Snapdocs – Most notaries listed here are also Notary Signing Agents (for real estate works), but they should be happy to take up general notary works too. I found one of notaries that I worked with here.

Of course, you would be able to use most of the above resources to find me (some I’m still working on). Let me know how you found me! 🙂