About Us

Rick Hiton, MS, ASA, IFAS, LEED GA, has been in the valuation industry for over 44 years and is an expert in urban economics and property valuation. 

Mr. Hiton holds the ASA and IFAS designations from the American Society of Appraisers and the MNAA designation with the National Association of Appraisers.  He holds a Master of Science Degree in Finance, Major-Real Estate & Urban Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2016, Mr. Hiton completed the Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has designated Mr. Hiton as a certified LEED Green Associate. He provides expertise in sustainability and environmental impact and is committed to the green building movement. He is also certified in Commercial/Residential Solar Valuation through the Appraisal Institute.

Mr. Hiton is the primary certified licensed appraiser in Illinois and Colorado for performing Solar, LEED, Energy Star, and valuation of Container Homes in those states.

Mr. Hiton serves on the Advisory Board of Pearl Certification on their Valuation Team and he is also the current Vice President of the Chicago Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). 

TJ McCarthy, SRA, ASA, IFA has been in the valuation industry for over 47 years and is a trusted industry analyst and consultant.

Mr. McCarthy has held various leadership positions in the appraisal industry, including President of the Chicago Chapter of the Appraisal Institute, President of the Illinois Coalition of Appraisal Professionals (ICAP), President of the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Independent Fee Appraiser (NAIFA), past member of the ASARPC Committee of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). Current Legislative Liaison of the Chicago Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). 

Mr. McCarthy holds the SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute and the ASA and IFA designations from the American Society of Appraisers.

He has been an appraisal analyst for Channel 7 ABC Eyewitness News and Channel 5 NBC News. He is also a nationally approved appraisal instructor with the Appraisal Institute and the American Society of Appraisers.

In 2002, he was appointed by the State of Illinois to the Illinois Real Estate Appraisal Licensing Board with the Department of Professional Regulations.  He served on the State Appraisal Board for 12 years and was the Board Chair from 2006 – 2008.   Mr. McCarthy also served on the Appraisal Foundations State Regulatory Advisory Board - SRAG in Washington D.C.

Matt Mattes has worked in the valuation industry for over 18 years and is a well respected consultant. He has assisted in the development of a national residential appraisal franchise as well as create and manage a national Appraisal Management Company.

Prior to joining Accurity, Matt worked in the Sports Turf industry with experience in golf courses as well as Major and Minor League Baseball franchises. One of his early mentors was legendary groundskeeper George Toma, who taught Matt about “And Then Some,” a philosophy on work ethic that he has carried all through his personal and professional life.

Matt grew up in the appraisal industry with three of his closest family members being appraisers.  He spent long hours with the copy machine, at the one-hour photo, using double-sided tape for photos (x3) and scratching on arrows on maps in the back room of the family appraisal office.

Elexia Hinote has worked in the real estate and valuation industry for over 30 years. She brings a client mindset to help grow United’s customer service and client relationships. She's successfully managed multiple markets with turn times under 5 business days consistently. Elexia is charged with selecting orders that best fits the United appraisal teams geographically, while considering all assignment complexities. One of Elixia’s key strengths is helping appraisers improve efficiency by focusing on client communication during the appraisal process which leads to enhanced productivity and superior customer service.