Know the Route Before You Ride

1. Before the visit. Your title company or lender sends us the documents. We confirm the time with you and send a short have-ready list, so the appointment starts on time and finishes once.
2. Identification. We check a current, unexpired photo ID for every borrower. Some lenders require two forms — if yours does, you’ll know before we arrive.
3. The stack. A typical closing package runs 100–150 pages. We walk it page by page, telling you what each document is — the note, the mortgage, the closing disclosure — and flagging exactly where to sign, date, and initial.
4. Notarization. The documents that require it are notarized on the spot, correctly and completely — acknowledgment wording and Louisiana’s formalities are our job, not yours.
5. Same-day return. Your signed package ships back to the title company the same day, so your closing funds on schedule.

The question every borrower asks: “Can you explain this loan to me?” No signing agent may advise you on your loan’s terms — your rate, your payments, your payoff. Those questions belong to your loan officer, and we’ll help you get them answered before anyone signs. What we can do is tell you what every document is and why it’s in the stack. Because your notary is also a licensed Louisiana attorney, we know exactly where that line sits — and we never wander over it.

Working late? Evening and weekend signings aren’t an exception here — they’re our specialty.

1. Don’t sign the title yet. The most common mistake in a private sale: signatures on a Louisiana title must be made in front of the notary. A pre-signed title can mean OMV paperwork headaches — or a new title.
2. We come to the sale. Driveway, parking lot, credit union — buyer and seller meet, we verify both IDs, and the title (and bill of sale, if you’re using one) is signed and notarized on the spot.
3. Buyer finishes at the OMV. The buyer takes the notarized title to register the vehicle and pay taxes and fees. We’ll tell you what to bring so it’s one trip.

Giving a vehicle to family instead of selling it? That’s a donation, and in Louisiana a donation must be an authentic act — signer, two witnesses, and the notary, executed with civil-law formalities. That’s attorney-notary work, and we handle it start to finish, including drafting the act.

1. The boat. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries requires a notarized bill of sale to register a used boat in the buyer’s name. No notarized bill of sale, no registration.
2. The trailer. The trailer transfers separately through the OMV with its own title — notarized just like a vehicle title.
3. One visit covers it all. We meet buyer and seller at the sale, verify IDs, and notarize the bill of sale and trailer title in a single stop — dockside, driveway, or launch.

Buying or selling a boat is usually a weekend transaction between two private parties — exactly the appointment banks and notary offices aren’t open for. We are.

1. Tell us the destination country. Countries in the Hague Apostille Convention take an apostille; other countries need a different authentication chain. The destination decides the paperwork, so it’s the first thing we ask.
2. The document gets notarized or certified. Apostilles attach to originals. Powers of attorney, school records, and business documents are notarized first. Birth, death, and marriage certificates are different — a notary can’t certify a copy of a vital record; you need a certified copy issued by Vital Records, which we help you order.
3. Submission to Baton Rouge. The Louisiana Secretary of State issues the apostille — $20 per document, typically about three business days once it’s in their hands. We prepare, submit, and track it.
4. Back to you. Your apostilled document is returned ready to send abroad.

One catch worth knowing: federal documents — FBI background checks, IRS records, federal court documents — can’t be apostilled by Louisiana at all. They go to the U.S. Department of State. We’ll tell you which path your document takes before you spend a dime.

On a deadline? Rush service with hand-delivery to the Secretary of State in Baton Rouge is available — ask when you book.

1. Everyone in one room. A Louisiana authentic act requires the signer, two competent witnesses, and the notary — all present together, all signing in each other’s presence. Witnesses are provided by you: two competent adults who can sign their name and have no stake in the document — full rules in Who Can Be a Witness? below.
2. The details must be exact. The agent’s full legal name and address appear in the act exactly as written — a misspelling can get a power of attorney rejected by the bank it was drafted for. We verify before anyone signs.
3. Signed, sealed, done. The act is executed with the formalities Louisiana requires, so it’s accepted the first time you present it.

Hospital and homebound signings are a regular part of this work. One thing to know: the signer must be alert and able to understand what they’re signing at the moment of signing. If a loved one’s condition is declining, sooner is always better than later — call us before the window closes.

Estate plan already drafted? If your attorney — or an online service — has prepared your will, trust, or POA package, we handle the full signing ceremony: notary, witnesses, and Louisiana’s formalities, at your kitchen table or a hospital bedside.

1. Government-issued, with your photo. A driver’s license or state ID card (any U.S. state), a U.S. passport or passport card, a U.S. military ID, or a permanent resident card. One of these, for every person signing.
2. Current — not expired. An expired ID cannot be accepted, even by a day. Check the date on your ID when you book, not the morning of your appointment.
3. The physical card, in hand. A photo of your ID on your phone, a photocopy, or a number recited from memory doesn’t work — the notary must inspect the original.

One more check: the name on your ID should match the name on your document. If you’ve married, divorced, or otherwise changed names since the ID was issued, call (504) 350-0507 before your appointment and we’ll tell you what works.

1. Competent adults who can sign their name. Each witness must be mentally competent, able to see the signing, and able to sign their own name. Bring adults — a neighbor, a coworker, a friend.
2. No stake in the document. A witness cannot be someone the document benefits. For a will, that means no legatee and no legatee’s spouse; for a power of attorney, not the named agent. When in doubt, pick someone with no connection to the paperwork at all.
3. Present the whole time. Louisiana’s formalities require the signer, both witnesses, and the notary together in one room, each signing in the others’ presence. Witnesses stay for the full ceremony — usually 15–30 minutes.

Your witnesses are your responsibility. If a signing cannot be completed because a witness does not qualify or does not appear, the full fee is still due — so read the rules above before your appointment and choose carefully.