Ashton W. Ray, MAI, is Managing Partner of Murphy Appraisal Services and has been with the firm since 2005. He became a Louisiana Certified General Real Estate Appraiser in 2009 and earned the prestigious MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute in 2015. Based in the firm’s Hammond office, Ashton provides commercial real estate valuation and consulting services throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, with particular experience along the I-12 corridor and Mississippi Gulf Coast.

With more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate valuation, Ashton has appraised a broad range of property types, including office and medical office buildings, retail centers, industrial properties, multifamily developments, self-storage facilities, RV parks and campgrounds, mixed-use properties, golf courses, special-use properties, and vacant and development land. He has particular expertise in residential, commercial, and industrial subdivision developments, self-storage facilities, RV parks and campgrounds, and complex land valuation assignments.

His practice includes appraisal and consulting assignments for financial institutions, private property owners, developers, attorneys, governmental agencies, and other real estate professionals. In addition to traditional lending and acquisition-related assignments, Ashton has experience with complex valuation matters involving condemnation and expropriation, partial interests, highest and best use, development analysis, and other specialized appraisal issues.

Ashton is licensed as a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama and is an active member of the Appraisal Institute. He has held leadership roles within the Louisiana Chapter of the Appraisal Institute and remains actively involved in professional education and the advancement of the appraisal profession. He is also a licensed Louisiana real estate salesperson with 10/12 Properties, providing him with additional exposure to real-time market activity and transactions throughout the region.

A 2003 graduate of Louisiana State University, Ashton began his professional career with Wells Fargo Financial in Dallas before joining Murphy Appraisal Services. He resides in Amite, Louisiana, with his wife, Brandi, and their three sons, Eli, Cohen, and Oliver. Outside of his professional practice, he enjoys hunting, fishing, golf, and spending time with his family and is actively involved in local civic, youth sports, and community organizations.