When you list your home for sale with a real estate agent, the agent inputs data on your house in a multiple listing service web site available solely by other real estate agents (not the general public).
There are two multiple listing services in the Chicago area: MLSNI (the big one) and MAP (the small one– is an acronym for Mt. Prospect, Arlington Heights and Palatine). Some real estate companies have recently dropped MLSNI in favor of the smaller MAP. Several Coldwell Banker offices on the north shore have pulled out of MLSNI and now use MAP exclusively. The reasons for this are cloudy at best (and you probably don’t care anyway). MLSNI does have a public web site that is very good and shows most of what’s on the market. MAP does not have a public site, but relays listings through to the Tribune and realtor.com.
What does this mean to you? If you list your home for sale, make sure your real estate agent puts the listing in BOTH MLSNI and MAP. You pay a lot to list your home and you should get maximum exposure.
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