A North Carolina notary is a partner in a real estate agency. The notary is asked to notarize a client's signature on a purchase agreement for a property listed by their own agency, from which the notary will receive a commission. Which of the following is the appropriate action for the notary to take?
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A
Notarize the signature but refuse to accept the commission from the sale.
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B
Proceed with the notarization since the client is the one signing, not the notary.
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C
Refuse to notarize the signature due to a direct financial interest in the transaction.
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D
Ask a different partner in the agency to notarize the signature instead.