REA Group has bought a 34 per cent stake in mortgage application and lodgment company Simpology, part of a strategy that the company says will allow it “within years” to offer exclusive home loan rates and guaranteed shorter application times to real estate listings customers.

REA Group, the country’s largest housing classified ad platform, has paid $15 million for a stake that will give it two seats on the board of Simpology, which designs products that allow brokers to lodge home loan applications directly into lenders’ back-end systems.