If you are buying any property abroad, whether it is French property, Spanish property or Sicily property, make sure that you do your homework first as buying and conveyance procedures in many countries are very different to ours.

If you do not speak the language very well, make sure that you enlist the help of a company who can help you to understand all the legal documents and who are experienced in helping foreigners to buy a property in their country – ignorance is certainly no excuse if you fall foul of any of the local laws.

Make sure that from your side, too, you also research all the information you can on buying a property in that country and make sure that you have a good grip on vital matters such as taxes, inheritance laws and property laws.

Don't leave all this to the last moment as you should know what to expect before you commit to buying any property. Leave it too late and you could be tied into something you will regret.

Buying a property abroad can be a very pleasurable and exciting experience, but it can also be very stressful so it is worth paying a little extra to an expert to make sure that you get things right or you could end up in a very sticky situation.