Catherine Hall is a distinguished leader in the housing and rehabilitation sectors, serving as the Executive Director of the National Association of FHA Consultants (NAFHAC). Her role involves steering the organization towards its mission of improving FHA-related processes and supporting professionals in the industry. Under her leadership, NAFHAC has expanded its influence and resources, advocating for best practices and fostering collaboration among consultants. In addition to her work with NAFHAC, Catherine is the innovative mind behind Genesis Rehab Reporting Software, a cutting-edge tool designed to streamline and enhance the reporting process for rehabilitation projects. This software has become an invaluable asset for professionals seeking efficiency and accuracy in their work, reflecting Catherine’s commitment to technological advancement and practical solutions in the field.
Hall was born in Mt. Holly, NJ, but lived most of her life in the city and suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. As a child and into her early teen years, she wanted to be in the public spotlight. She had dreams of being a Broadway singer, and then as she went into high school, Hall was attracted to school and local politics. In her junior year of high school, she was “elected” mayor for the week during a mock government exercise at the Keystone Girls State. Hall was always and will continue to be active in civic affairs and community outreach programs.
There is one person in history that she considers a role model and someone who she greatly admires—Winston Churchill. Catherine considers him a role model because of his courage and dedication to his goals and dreams, no matter what obstacles he faced or what problems seemed to hold him back. He never gave up, and he never doubted his vision for his life. Hall works to exemplify that same spirit of faith and confidence in her life and her career.
About 30 years ago, Catherine unexpectedly found herself becoming a home inspector. Her husband had decided to pursue this path as a way to better understand the condition of properties he was looking to purchase with 203k loans, and she ended up following suit. At the time, back in 1992, a buyer could use the FHA 203k loan to purchase an investment property. However, at the point when they were getting into the market two years later, when he completed his ASHI certification, HUD made the change that 203k loans could only be used for owner-occupied properties. By that point, they felt that the investment they had made in his training and certification to become a home inspector needed to be capitalized by our starting a home inspection business. They were both working other jobs; he worked nights at the post office and did inspections during the day. Hall was working part-time in an office and doing all the marketing and promotions. Catherine and her husband got a contract with the city of Philadelphia to perform home inspections for individuals getting a special grant funded by the federal government, and that contract gave us so much business that she was required to get my certification in order to handle the volume. She enjoyed 203k consultation work rather than home inspections and made that her specific expertise and niche. In 1994, when she received her ASHI certification, Hall was the only African American certified female home inspector in the country.
The contract to provide inspection services for the city of Philadelphia was a turning point in their business because that contract required them not only to perform home inspections, but to provide separate reports describing whether or not the properties passed or failed HUD Minimum Property Standards (MPS). This was where her true expertise grew; working with programs that involved FHA housing quality standards like the 203k program.
Hall had to increase their staff dramatically, and part of their training was a strong understanding of HUD MPS. She has always been very good at training, educating, and teaching people how to do things that she does well. She literally created a training program for their new employees that they could complete on their own and put in a Rubbermaid bin. That is how the 203k In-A-Box FHA consultant training and marketing system was born.
Thanks to the suggestion of one of her mentors, Mike Crow, she packaged the system and was able to successfully market the opportunity of 203k consulting to home inspectors around the country starting in 2010.
Due to the success of the program and the fact that we were growing into such a large group of like-minded individuals with similar skills and dedication to the professionalism of the career of 203k consultants, Hall created the first trade association for rehab consultants, the National Association of FHA consultants (NAFHAC). They celebrated their 10th anniversary in October 2023.
Today, NAFHAC remains not only the first but the leading resource for education training, support, and software for individuals who want to quickly create a reliable revenue stream as residential rehab consultant.
As a trainer for home inspectors in the world of 203k consulting, Hall has received numerous certificates of appreciation and recognition from many local home inspection chapters: NOVA ASHI, FABI, and OHIO InterNACHI, to name just a few. When describing a successful memorable moment, she thinks one of the largest successes that they have had as an association, herself personally as a speaker, coach, and mentor is their annual conferences. It is so wonderful to be able to share the revenue potential and the business building opportunities that rehab consulting can provide home inspectors at events like the 203k day of discovery. Last year’s pre-conference workshop had over 35 attendees, and Hall was so honored to say that out of those attendees, 30 of them are now successful rehab consultants making new money and helping rebuild neighborhoods all around the country.
Hall believes one of the most important lessons that she has learned is how important it is to have an open, free-flowing means of communication with people that you are helping learn a new skill, a new process. When Catherine first started, she was juggling so many activities and responsibilities that many times she failed to keep appointments with customers and didn’t return emails as promptly as she should have. It cost her not only members who felt deserved and frustrated, but it also damaged her reputation in the industry for a little while. Since then and for at least the last eight years, we have had a very active and totally real-time support mechanism using Skype.
All members are plugged right into the Skype members group, and where she may not see an email, she can see easily and quickly respond to a Skype message. Once our members recognize the level of care and speed of support that they receive through the Skype group, they know how much we care about making them feel supported—and they see how much Hall goes above and beyond as needed to make sure their questions are answered, their needs are met, and their issues are resolved as quickly as possible.
Education and training are so critical to new and seasoned home inspectors, particularly when it comes to staying current and relevant in an ever-changing market. There are apps now that can almost do a home inspection for the customer without having an actual person go through the property. As professionals in this industry, we all must find new and innovative ways to serve the home buying and home ownership communities as well as create additional revenue streams to keep our businesses thriving in up-and-down market. That is why Catherine is passionate and has made it her mission to educate and inform as many home inspectors around the country as to the ease of getting certified as a renovation consultant and the opportunity to create a vital additional revenue stream that includes ongoing recurring income from a single customer. That is huge because in our industry we typically must work so hard to get one agent to give us one phone call to allow us to do one inspection for one customer, and then we have to repeat that cycle again and again to create a flow of income. Any break in that chain and the income stream dries up. With rehab consulting, a home inspector generates his income from a different referral partner, the lender, and is able to provide services to multiple types of customers, including home buyers, homeowners, investors, and nonprofit agencies. There are so many ways to make money, and now with HUD announcing an increase in the fees that consultants will be receiving effective in November, it’s even more of a viable opportunity for home inspectors to make a lot of money doing less work with fewer headaches and less stress. But like anything, you must know the system, and we provide that system, and we give that resource that does make the learning curve as smooth as possible and the ability to generate that income as seamless as possible.
A cornerstone of NAFHAC’s mission is fostering strong, mutually beneficial partnerships. FHA 203k consultants, especially those certified by NAFHAC, often form strategic alliances with loan officers. These partnerships are unique in that they foster long-term loyalty and support. By providing valuable tools and resources, NAFHAC empowers its members to become indispensable assets to their referral partners. Through lead generation and exceptional service, consultants can attract and retain clients, solidifying their position in the industry.
Rather than simply answering the question, “How has your business changed since switching to PRO-LAB® services?” Hall prefers to address, “How have my business and the services we provide to home inspectors grown, thanks to the incredible support, unwavering dedication, and partnership we’ve received from PRO-LAB®?” Hall stated, “The answer is exponentially. PRO-LAB® even hosted our very first 203k discovery days, marking a significant milestone for us. Shortly after PRO-LAB’s InterNACHI House of Horrors® was completed, we held a 2-day conference in that amazing space, and the partnership and the support I have personally received, and our association members have received from Ben and Jamie and the entire team at PRO-LAB® have lifted my specific niche in this industry higher and faster than it would have without their assistance and backing. In fact, we try to hold an event at PRO-LAB’s facility at least once every two years simply because they are so welcoming, so supportive, and so caring about the needs of our members and our mission to provide an additional revenue stream to home inspectors. They do this because they know and appreciate that the more ways a home inspector can make money, the more successful they will be, and their company is all about helping small, moderate business owners create sustainable revenue and wealth as well as providing resources to help these home inspectors ensure healthy and safe homes for their customers. Can it get any better than that?”
Catherine has a goal to help rebuild neighborhoods one home at a time. She works every day to create opportunities for families around the country to enjoy safe, sound homes that can provide lasting and even possibly generational wealth opportunities to our communities. As the executive director of the National Association of FHA Consultants, mentor and coach to hundreds of successful inspectors, rehab consultants, contractors, and real estate sales and lending partners, she is able to realize these goals a little bit every single day. By helping real estate professionals recognize the potential found in rehab home ownership services, She is shining a light on a path for real estate professionals to grow their businesses with a homeownership tool that is either little known or little understood. Every new home inspector who starts sharing the benefits of their services as rehab consultants with a new loan office or real estate agent is bringing one more family that much closer to a better home and a better neighborhood.
Family in general is crucial to her. The love and support that she has received throughout her career has helped her overcome fear of the unknown, self-doubt, and helps her rise above criticism that came as a result of mistakes she has made. Because family is so important to her, she has worked very hard to create a family atmosphere in the National Association of FHA consultants. Through their interactive Skype group, members help each other; they pray when a member is going through a medical crisis or has a death in the family; they celebrate when a member has a joyous birth in their family or another happy occasion; and they help support and lift up fellow members whenever and however possible. It is her honor to be able to look at the Skype messages and communications that pass amongst their members and see the love and the family atmosphere that is generating and continuing to be maintained every day by all the team members and the volunteer association members. It truly is special, and she has a personal affection for each and every member of their team and the membership.
Hall’s vision for the future of the home inspection industry is closely tied to her vision for the renovation consulting industry in that it is her wish that every home inspector will add 203k consulting services to their business model. Any home inspector who has three or more years of referenceable experience or licensing is eligible to be a renovation consultant. By the simple process of reticular activation, once every home inspector sees the opportunity that exists as a renovation consultant, even if they don’t use this tool with every customer they serve, knowing what it can do, having that option to be able to offer the alternatives available with a rehab loan, and having a comfort level in describing it to their referral partners and customers and prospect base is going to help grow the financial stability of the professionals in this industry. Any business that can stand on more than “one leg” is always going to be more stable and sustainable. The more additional revenue streams a home inspector adds, including mold testing, radon testing, and 203k consulting, all these additional resources will help that company weather most if not any economic storm.
Catherine welcomes the opportunity to speak to any individual or company representative to explain more on a personal level what the opportunities and benefits are for four of them as rehab consultants and offer weekly workshops every Wednesday night through the end of December describing the ABC’s of 203k Consulting. Individuals can sign up for these free webinars at nafhac.org/abcsof203k.
