Key facts
- Gitcha is developing a Buyer Listing Service (BLS) to partner with Multiple Listing Services (MLS).
- The company aims to shift the MLS model from being seller-centric to buyer-centric.
- Gitcha's BLS provides 'agent intelligence' to help agents identify active buyers' needs.
- Five MLSs have partnered with Gitcha, with more expected to finalize contracts.
- Gitcha was founded by Dan Cooper, who previously operated a design and homebuilding company.
Gitcha, a technology company founded by custom homebuilder Dan Cooper, is aiming to reshape the real estate industry's traditional seller-focused Multiple Listing Service (MLS) model by introducing a buyer-centric approach. Cooper, who has a background in design and homebuilding since 2004, conceived of Gitcha after experiencing difficulties selling his own home during the Great Recession and realizing the need for better tools to connect sellers with active buyers.
Cooper officially launched Gitcha in 2020, initially integrating a real estate brokerage into his existing company. The company, Gitcha, was formally launched in September 2023 in Bend, Oregon, but faced initial resistance from competing brokerages. A subsequent launch in Phoenix, Arizona, proved more successful, attracting over 1,000 subscribers. As Gitcha gained traction in 2024, national brokerages expressed interest in exclusive access, prompting Cooper and his team to pivot towards partnerships with MLSs.
Currently, Gitcha's Buyer Listing Service (BLS) has secured partnerships with five MLSs, a process that began in early 2025. Cooper stated that Gitcha's goal is to become the 'buy-side of the MLS,' providing agents with 'agent intelligence' to better understand and cater to buyer needs. This initiative aims to address the current housing inventory constraints and foster greater cooperation within the industry, especially as some brokerages pursue private listing networks.
Among Gitcha's early MLS partners, Mainstreet Realtors, part of Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), plans to use the BLS to help unlock housing inventory by providing sellers with insights into active buyer preferences. Hive MLS, another partner, intends to leverage the BLS to enhance agent collaboration and connection. Cooper acknowledged the complexity of navigating the diverse ownership and governance structures of the numerous MLSs nationwide but remains optimistic about expanding the BLS's reach.