Signing options when someone can not be there.
Out of state, deployed, hospitalized, or just not local. Almost all of it is solvable with lead time.
A seller who moved out of state, a buyer deployed overseas, a client in the hospital. None of these have to move your closing date if we know early.
Mobile notary
The simplest answer, and it is included with every file I handle, anywhere in Texas. Your client signs at their kitchen table, their office, a hospital room, or wherever works. No charge and no trip downtown.
Out of state signers
Common and routine. Documents go to a title company or notary near them, or a mobile notary comes to them. The main thing is lead time, because the package has to travel both directions.
Remote online notarization
Texas permits notarization by video with an approved provider. Whether it works on a given file depends on the lender and the underwriter, not just on the client's preference, so ask before promising it.
Military and overseas
Deployed service members and clients living abroad have workable options, including military notaries and consular services. These take the most lead time of anything on this list. Raise it the week you go under contract, not the week of closing.
Power of attorney
When someone genuinely cannot sign, a power of attorney may work. It has to be approved by the underwriter in advance, it usually has to be recorded, and the principal must be alive and competent at closing. Specific beats general every time.
The one rule that matters
Tell me at the start. Almost every signing situation has a solution, and almost every one needs more lead time than people expect. A seller in Colorado is a non-issue in week one and a problem in week four.
Every file is different, and underwriters can view the same facts differently depending on the details. Confirm the specifics with your escrow officer. Title and lender requirements are separate, so clearing one does not mean you have cleared the other.