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Buying a holiday home

Research, research, research:

Research is probably the most time consuming part of finding and buying a holiday home but without it things can go wrong. After all, you wouldn't buy a house in the UK without first finding our a bit more about the area.

Again, this may sound like common sense but you'll be amazed how many people get carried away and leave their common sense on the plane on the flight over.

One of the best places to start your research is on the internet. Do as much digging around as you can to find out useful information, visit forums and ask people for their advice, contact the country's tourist office and embassy and ask them to send you more information, contact estate agents in the region you are interested in.

Once you've researched the area it's time to start looking for a holiday home. If you've already contacted estate agents in your initial research then you've already started the ball rolling. Establishing a good rapport with them can save you a lot of time, effort and heartache.

There are now more and more holiday magazines available on the local high street. Many offer interesting articles and have classified sections full of properties for sale. This will help you get a feel for the cost and styles of properties in your chosen area.