4 ms·

In most Western legal traditions the notary is used or required in a small subset of transactions. For example real estate. Normal commercial purchase contract

In most Western legal traditions the notary is used or required in a small subset of transactions. For example real estate. Normal commercial purchase contracts don't need the added insurance that offers. And no one wants to pay for it.

bluGill 2y ago
Every medium sized and larger company I know of has several notaries on staff who will put their stamp on anything you place in front of them. Typically company policy says you can bring your personal contracts to that person during work hours to have them notarized at no cost. I would assume normal commercial purchase contracts are notarized just because it is so easy to get someone to do it. (I've never been in this process so I wouldn't know, but that would be my guess)
- sib 2y ago
  >> I would assume normal commercial purchase contracts are notarized just because it is so easy to get someone to do it. (I've never been in this process so I wouldn't know, but that would be my guess) Having been involved in the negotiation and signing of many, many commercial purchase contracts (primarily in the US), I have never seen one be notarized. This includes at three giant publicly-traded companies and at three venture-funded startups.
  - bluGill 2y ago
    Are you sure - that person could just quietly put their stamp on it without saying anything. As the other poster said, in the US notaries will put their stamp on anything. In other countries they have different rules, so if you don't live in the US I could believe they don't stamp most contracts.
    - sib 2y ago
      Yes, 100% - because as the "business owner" I've been the one responsible for actually passing the signed agreements back and forth, so I would have seen the notarization.
  - pyuser583 2y ago
    Strange. Notaries exist to verify identity. If identity verification wasn’t an issue. They might not be necessary. There are probably other ways of accomplishing the same thing.
- pyuser583 2y ago
  In America, a notary stamps anything put in front of them. In other countries, they have a larger role. My limited understanding is foreign notaries represent the state in the contract. They want to make sure the contract is legal, clear, enforceable, etc.
sidewndr46 2y ago
This is false, you don't need a notary to do real estate transactions in most of the West. Also it's sort of moot, the notary effectively just puts a stamp on it. If I write up a quit claim deed, there exists no mechanism to prove my ownership of that anyways
- BartjeD 2y ago
  It's not false, it's an example of Italy and the Netherlands, and there are many more. The exception I dare say are the UK and US. The legal tradition in the west largely stems from the Roman Iius civile. Even the so called common law. And there too we see a role for civil officers to authenticate real estate transactions. So... your statement is false

bluGill 2y ago

Every medium sized and larger company I know of has several notaries on staff who will put their stamp on anything you place in front of them. Typically company policy says you can bring your personal contracts to that person during work hours to have them notarized at no cost. I would assume normal commercial purchase contracts are notarized just because it is so easy to get someone to do it. (I've never been in this process so I wouldn't know, but that would be my guess)

sib 2y ago
>> I would assume normal commercial purchase contracts are notarized just because it is so easy to get someone to do it. (I've never been in this process so I wouldn't know, but that would be my guess) Having been involved in the negotiation and signing of many, many commercial purchase contracts (primarily in the US), I have never seen one be notarized. This includes at three giant publicly-traded companies and at three venture-funded startups.
- bluGill 2y ago
  Are you sure - that person could just quietly put their stamp on it without saying anything. As the other poster said, in the US notaries will put their stamp on anything. In other countries they have different rules, so if you don't live in the US I could believe they don't stamp most contracts.
  - sib 2y ago
    Yes, 100% - because as the "business owner" I've been the one responsible for actually passing the signed agreements back and forth, so I would have seen the notarization.
- pyuser583 2y ago
  Strange. Notaries exist to verify identity. If identity verification wasn’t an issue. They might not be necessary. There are probably other ways of accomplishing the same thing.
pyuser583 2y ago
In America, a notary stamps anything put in front of them. In other countries, they have a larger role. My limited understanding is foreign notaries represent the state in the contract. They want to make sure the contract is legal, clear, enforceable, etc.

sidewndr46 2y ago

This is false, you don't need a notary to do real estate transactions in most of the West. Also it's sort of moot, the notary effectively just puts a stamp on it. If I write up a quit claim deed, there exists no mechanism to prove my ownership of that anyways

BartjeD 2y ago
It's not false, it's an example of Italy and the Netherlands, and there are many more. The exception I dare say are the UK and US. The legal tradition in the west largely stems from the Roman Iius civile. Even the so called common law. And there too we see a role for civil officers to authenticate real estate transactions. So... your statement is false