Remote Online Notarization (RON) Helps Sell your Home at a Distance

The coronavirus outbreak may have slowed the world down, but that doesn’t mean life has come to a complete halt. If you happen to be in the process of selling your home, you may be worried that you’ll need to compromise your safety just to close the deal. Thankfully, there have been some recent changes here in Florida that make it easier to sell your home, even during a pandemic. Remote Online Notarization (RON) is one way that you can sell your home and still maintain social distancing recommendations.

Remote Online Notarization

Remote online notarization was authorized in Florida as of January 1, 2020. This was part of the passage of House Bill 409. Before RON passed, the signer (the seller or the buyer) and the notary public had to be physically together to sign documents. Today, this age-old practice is inadvisable. Under the new RON law, interactive audio-video conferences are now able to take the place of having to meet physically. The signer and notary public can now use audio and video communication to notarize the signer’s electronic signature on electronic documents. Remote online authorization makes selling your home easier (and safer) than ever before.

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What You Need to Know About RON

Requirements to Notarize Documents Online

It’s important to keep in mind that not just any Florida notary can notarize documents online. Before a Florida notary can notarize a document online, they must meet the required prerequisites. For instance, they must comply with a state-approved RON course. The course is two hours long and requires payment of registration fees. The Florida notary public also needs to register with the State as an online notary.

Identity Proofing Is Required

The RON notary must verify the signer’s credentials using a two-step process: knowledge-based authentication and credential analysis. The signer must present government-issued identification so that a “credential analysis” can be performed using third-party technology that meets state requirements. Then, knowledge-based authentication (KBA) questions sourced from public and private data sources are used to ensure the signer is who they say they are.

eClosings

Before real estate closings are completed and notarized electronically, there must be consent from all parties involved with the real estate transaction. This includes the seller, buyer, borrower, and lender. The mortgage lender must also approve and consent to the use of RON. If consent is not made, the real estate transaction may be invalid.

Updated Notary Block

The standard notary public must now indicate whether the signer signed by means of physical presence or online notarization.

How to Keep Your Home Sale (Mostly) Contact-Free

Although inspections must still be completed in person, there is a way to ensure that your home sale is a nearly contact-free transaction. Virtual staging and virtual consultations are two great options to stay safe and handle your home sale without contact. So are private showings by appointment and WiFi-enabled lockboxes.

Virtual Staging

Before you can get to the eClosing table (er—screen?), you’ll need interested buyers. Virtual staging can help attract more offers and can be completed online. Our virtual staging team simply edits photographs of your home to add furniture and accessories digitally. Unlike traditional staging, you don’t have to worry about physically moving anything or coming into contact with others to stage your home. This is the best option to help you adhere to social distancing recommendations.

Virtual Consultations

If you’d like more guidance on how to sell your home during these unprecedented times, MHM Professional Staging is now offering virtual consultations. These consultations last 30-45 minutes and are conducted using Zoom video conferencing software. During your consultation, we’ll cover ways to get your home ready for market by decluttering, staging, and making cost-effective home improvements. We can also recommend key upgrades to your home’s curb appeal. 

If you need to sell your home and would like expert advice to get you more offers, contact us today to schedule a virtual consultation.