keeping the originals is just smart. Saves you from scrambling later if someone suddenly decides they won’t accept a PDF.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I’ve started pushing back on this with some of my deals. Last year, I had a buyer’s attorney insist on overnighting originals for a simple addendum—cost me time and money, and in the end, the title company accepted the scan anyway. Sometimes I wonder if we’re just enabling the old-school folks by always having paper ready. Maybe if more of us refused, things would change faster... but yeah, it’s a gamble.
I get the frustration—paper originals feel like a relic, especially when everyone ends up accepting scans anyway. But I’ve seen deals get delayed over a missing wet signature, and that’s a headache you don’t want. I keep originals tucked away just in case, but I’ll push for digital whenever I can. It’s annoying, but until the industry catches up, having both options seems like the safest bet.
- Honestly, I’ve stopped keeping paper copies unless it’s absolutely required.
- Most lenders and title companies I work with have shifted to digital-only, and I haven’t had a single issue in the last two years.
- If someone insists on a wet signature, I just print and sign as needed—no need to keep a stack of originals “just in case.”
- Feels like we’re holding onto old habits more than anything else.
- If you’re organized with your digital files, you’re usually covered.
Honestly, I used to be that person with a filing cabinet full of “just in case” originals, but now it’s all digital for me too. Here’s my quick rundown: scan everything as soon as you get it, back it up (cloud or external drive—don’t trust just one), and label files with dates and details so you’re not digging through random PDFs later. If someone wants a wet signature, that’s what the printer’s for. Haven’t had a hiccup yet... but I still keep a tiny stash of paper just in case the universe decides to test me.
That’s a solid system—love the “tiny stash” for when the universe gets spicy. I’m all about scanning and backing up too, but sometimes I get lazy and end up with a pile of “to scan” that just stares at me for weeks. Totally agree on not trusting just one backup. I learned the hard way when my bargain-bin external drive died mid-tax season. Digital is the way, but a backup for your backup never hurts… especially when property stuff gets real.
