What should a signing order include? Four things, and the one most often missed.

I've received plenty of signing orders with something missing. A fee left blank. A vague time window. A signer count that didn't match the package. Most of those get fixed with a quick call. Two missing details are different, and they're the reason this article exists: the signing location and the signer's phone number.

What are the four things every signing order needs?

1. The signing location. The full address, including unit or suite number. If it's an office, a hospital, a gated community, or anywhere with a security desk or door code, say so.
2. The date and time. A real appointment time, not a window. If the time isn't confirmed with the signer yet, say that too.
3. The signer's contact information. A phone number for every signer, plus an email if you have it.
4. Special instructions. Anything out of the ordinary: a power of attorney, a trust, a witness requirement, an interpreter, a funding deadline, specific scan-back or shipping steps. If it would surprise the notary at the table, it belongs here.

Why does the signer's phone number matter so much?

Before a signing, the notary calls the signer to confirm the time and the location. That call catches a lot. The wrong unit number. A building with a security desk. A gated community. A door that needs a code.

Now picture the notary pulling up to a locked building with no phone number for the signer. They can't get in. They can't call. They're stuck outside, watching the clock, trying to reach your office for a number. By the time they're let in, they're late.

And the signer doesn't know the real story. All they know is the notary showed up late and is talking about a door code. The closing starts on a sour note, and nobody did anything wrong except leave one line blank on the order.

What else helps a notary say yes faster?

Two more details turn a "let me check" into a fast yes:

• When the documents will arrive. "Docs by noon" lets a notary plan their day. "Docs to follow" makes them guess.
• The fee. A clear fee up front, including any travel or rush fee, saves a round of negotiation and shows you respect their time.

Here's the full checklist I put in the book for title agencies. Use it to check your current order form:

Field	What to include
Signer names	Exactly as they appear on each signer's ID
Signer phone numbers	One for every signer
Signer email	If you have it
Signing address	Full address, including unit or suite
Access notes	Gate, door code, security desk, parking
Date and time	A confirmed time, not a window
Documents ready by	When the notary can print or pick up
Fee	Including any travel or rush fee, agreed in writing
Who will be at the table	Attorney, loan officer, others
Special instructions	Power of attorney, trust, witnesses, interpreter
Funding deadline	Plus the scan-back cutoff time
Return method	Carrier, label included, drop-off location
Contact for questions	Name and phone number, including after hours

How do you check an order before you send it?

Read it like a notary would. Could you drive to this signing, get in the door, reach the signer, and know exactly what's expected, using only what's written there? If the answer is no, you're not done yet.

Then fix the template, not just the order. If the same detail keeps going missing, the problem usually isn't the person sending the order. It's the form. Make the signer's phone number a required field. Add a line for access notes. One small change prevents the same mistake on every file after it.

What is the notary thinking when your order lands?

They're doing a quick math problem. Can I get there? Can I reach the signer? Will I have time to print and review? Every blank is a question they have to chase before they can answer. A complete order gets a yes in minutes. An incomplete one sits in their inbox while they decide if it's worth the hassle, and your best notary may take a cleaner job instead.

This is Chapter 2 of the title agent side of Closed Together. Flip the book over and Chapter 2 on the notary side shows the same moment from their seat: how they decide whether to take your order.

This article shares general practices and personal experience from real signings. It isn't legal advice. Notary laws, fees, and requirements vary by state, and lenders and title agencies set their own instructions, so check the current rules where you work.