Virify

7 min readJun 6, 2026

Finding Your Next Home: A Complete Buyer's Guide

Buying a property is one of life's biggest decisions. With Virify's intelligent search, verified listings and direct communication, you can find exactly what you want without the usual headaches.

This guide walks you through everything, step by step. Whether you're a first-time buyer or moving home, you'll find practical advice on searching, viewing, making offers, and completing your purchase.

Key takeaways

Work out your budget and get mortgage approval before searching.
Use Virify's natural language search, map tools, and filters to find the right property.
Message sellers directly and arrange viewings through the platform.
Do your due diligence on the property and area before making an offer.
Commission a survey and instruct a solicitor after your offer is accepted.

Getting started: before you search

Know your budget

Work out what you can actually afford before you start searching. It saves time and disappointment.

Consider:

Your deposit amount
Mortgage approval (get agreement in principle first)
Property tax (stamp duty land tax, land transaction tax or land and buildings transaction tax, as applicable)
Solicitor and survey fees
Moving costs
Fund for repairs, renovations and furniture

Mortgage Types & Affordability

Property Purchase Tax

Solicitors & Conveyancers

Use Virify's affordability calculator and tools to understand the full picture.

Decide your priorities

Write down what you actually need versus what would be nice to have.

Must-haves might include:

Number of bedrooms
Location and commute time
Parking space
Garden size
School catchment areas

Nice-to-haves might be:

Home office space
En-suite bathroom
Certain style or period features
Specific views

Be honest about your priorities. It helps focus your search.

Consider verification (optional)

Buyers can optionally verify their identity through Virify. It's not required, but sellers may prefer dealing with verified buyers.

Searching for properties on Virify

Create your account

Register on Virify with your email and password. You can browse without an account, but registering unlocks all features.

With an account you can:

Save favourite properties
Add private notes to listings
Set up search alerts
Track your viewing history
Message sellers directly

Start searching

Virify gives you powerful ways to search.

Natural language AI search

Just describe what you want in plain English:

"3 bedroom house with garden near good schools under £400k"
"2 bed flat with parking within 1 mile of a gym"
"Terrace with downstairs bedroom and south-facing garden"

Virify understands your intent and returns relevant matches. No need to tick vague filter boxes.

Map-based search

Draw an area on the interactive map or select specific neighbourhoods. Properties update in real-time as you explore.

Prefer traditional filters? Those work too. Refine by price, bedrooms, property type, and specific features.

Browse and shortlist properties

Search results show property cards with images, price, location and key features.

For each property you're interested in:

View full details (photos, description, floorplans, EPC, as available)
Check neighbourhood data (schools, transport, crime stats, flood risk)
Save to favourites
Add private notes for your reference
Compare against other shortlisted properties

Take your time. Virify's dashboard keeps everything organised.

Set up search alerts

Save your searches and enable alerts. You'll get notified when new properties match your criteria.

Alert benefits:

Never miss a listing
Act quickly on new properties
Track specific locations or features
Adjust criteria as your search evolves

Making contact and viewing properties

Send enquiries

When you find a property you like, message the seller or agent directly through Virify's in-platform messaging.

Your first message should briefly:

Introduce yourself (whether you're a first-time buyer, looking to move home or if you're a cash buyer etc.)
Set out your interest

Sellers and agents can see your profile. If you're verified, it shows. They'll also see if you have a property to sell, which helps them understand your position.

Book viewings

Arrange viewing times that work for both parties.

Before each viewing:

Confirm the appointment
Plan your questions
Check the listing details again
Note travel time and parking

During viewings:

Take your time walking through
Ask about bills, council tax and utilities
Get a feel for the condition (damp, electrics, plumbing, etc.)
Take photos if the seller agrees
Be respectful of their property and time

After viewings:

Make notes while it's fresh
Compare against other properties
Follow up with any additional questions

Do your due diligence

Before making an offer, understand what you're buying.

Check:

Virify's neighbourhood insights (crime, flood risk, transport links)
Future development plans nearby
School catchment areas (if relevant)
Broadband speeds and mobile coverage
Parking restrictions and permits

Visit the area multiple times. Daytime and evening. Weekday and weekend. Get a fuller feel for the local area.

Virify tip
Great properties move fast. If you see something you love, don't wait days to enquire. But don't panic buy either. Quick doesn't mean careless.

Making an offer

Decide your offer

Once you've found the right property, work out what you're willing to pay.

Consider:

Asking price versus market value
Property condition and required work
Comparable recent sales
Your maximum budget

Don't rush. Make an informed decision.

Submit your offer

Contact the seller through Virify's messaging with your offer.

Include in your offer:

Proposed price
Your position (first-time buyer, chain-free, selling property, etc.), if not already shared
Mortgage approval status
Preferred timescales
Any other conditions

Be clear and professional. Sellers want certainty as much as a good price.

Negotiate if needed

The seller may accept, reject, or counter-offer.

During negotiations:

Stay calm and reasonable
Justify your position with evidence
Listen to the seller's concerns
Find middle ground where possible
Know when to walk away

Property buying involves compromise. But don't stretch beyond your means.

Offer accepted

Once the seller accepts your offer, confirm it in writing through Virify's messaging.

Commission a survey

Most people prefer to get an independent survey to confirm the property's condition and value once an offer has been accepted. Always get the seller's permission before instructing a survey to visit the property.

Survey types:

Basic valuation (used to confirm the agreed price is correct)
Homebuyer report (most common, covers main property issues)
Full structural survey (detailed, for older or unusual properties)

Surveys can reveal problems. Use findings to renegotiate or withdraw if needed.

Property Valuations & Surveys

Now Virify's involvement ends. The legal process begins.

After offer acceptance

Instruct your solicitor

Choose a conveyancing solicitor or licensed conveyancer. Get quotes from multiple firms.

Your solicitor handles:

Property searches
Contract reviews
Land Registry checks
Transfer of funds
Registration of ownership

Don't pick the cheapest without checking reviews. Quality matters here.

Arrange your mortgage

If you haven't already, finalise your mortgage application.

Expect to provide:

Proof of deposit
Income verification
Employment confirmation

You'll also be subject to credit checks.

Stay in close contact with your mortgage broker or lender.

Exchange contracts

Once searches are complete and your mortgage is approved, you'll be nearing exchange.

At exchange:

You pay your deposit
Both parties are legally committed
Completion date is set
You typically can't back out without losing your deposit

Complete and move in

On completion day, final funds transfer and you receive the keys.

Before completion:

Book removals
Arrange buildings insurance from exchange
Set up utilities
Redirect post
Plan moving day logistics

Congratulations. The property is yours.

Tips for buyers

Be clear about your position

Sellers want to know:

Are you chain-free or selling a property?
Do you have mortgage approval?
Are you ready to buy or just browsing?
What's your timescale?

Being upfront builds trust and speeds things up.

Act quickly on good properties

Great properties move fast. If you see something you love, don't wait days to enquire.

But don't panic buy either. Quick doesn't mean careless.

Stay organised

Property searching generates paperwork, messages, and decisions.

Keep track of:

Properties you've viewed
Questions and answers from sellers
Offer history and negotiations
Solicitor correspondence
Mortgage documents

Virify's dashboard helps, but maintain your own records too.

Know when to walk away

Sometimes a property isn't right, even if you love it.

Walk away if:

Surveys reveal major structural issues
Seller is dishonest or difficult
Price exceeds true value significantly
Your gut says something's wrong
You're stretching finances dangerously

Better to lose a property than buy the wrong one.

Use Virify's data

Virify provides rich information to help you decide.

Available data includes:

Price paid history for the property and area
EPC ratings and energy costs
Neighbourhood statistics
Transport links and commute times
School information
Environmental data (flooding, etc.)

This data is free and accessible. Use it.

Moving home: buying and selling at the same time

Moving home is different from buying your first place. This time, you're juggling two transactions: selling your current home and buying your next one, often on linked timelines.

That extra complexity can feel stressful, but it's manageable with a simple plan. The key is to get organised early, understand where the risks are (chains, mortgages, surveys, timings), and keep your budget realistic.

What's different when you buy your next home

You're doing two things at once

As a first-time buyer, you focused on buying. Now you're likely:

preparing your current home for sale
running viewings (or managing an agent)
negotiating offers on your sale
making offers on your next home
keeping both sides moving so one doesn't delay the other

Selling Your Property Privately

Property tax considerations

Movers can face different property tax rules than first-time buyers, and buying before selling can trigger higher rates.