9) Buying through an offshore company to avoid certain taxes, expenses and laws is sometimes an option open to an individual interested in purchasing abroad. Whether this route is actually the best route is massively debateable! Firstly it depends on the country in which youre buying. Secondly, local agents may be incorrectly advising foreigners by basing their advice on the local situation.

This method of approach can be beneficial but it could land you in a whole lot more taxation mess both abroad and at home! There are specialist companies out there who can advise you based on your individual situation and as its not a case of one method suiting all, be careful and get informed.

Find out the following, if you do buy through an offshore company and wish to take the property out of that company in the future how easy will that be to do, will you incur an expense, will there be further tax liabilities if you decide to sell your company owned property, and what happens if you try to take the profit from the sale, will you be taxed? Also consider the taxation situation from the UK point of view and the local situation in your country of choice.

10) What option would you like to take when it comes to financing your purchase? Are you considering equity release or a second mortgage, cash or a mortgage in the local currency? Know the pros and cons of each option. Cash may seem like the easiest and best way to go but do you want to have all that money tied up in a relatively slow to liquidise overseas asset?

So what about a mortgage in the local currency? You need to consider the stability of the currency and fluctuating exchange rates. When moving money overseas either in a lump sum or to meet regular monthly financial commitments there are options available to you to reduce currency fluctuation risks consider spot or forward transactions, speak to a financial adviser or foreign exchange risk expert to find out the options available.

If youre considering equity release or a second mortgage this might be a cheap option at the moment but remember youd risk losing one or both homes if you fell behind on payments!

When it comes to the considerations you need to make when exploring the idea of purchasing a second home abroad these ten top tips are not exhaustive but should provide some food for thought. Going forward from here you should remain informed; dont enter into an idea abroad that you wouldnt entertain back home and seek professional legal, financial and taxation advice at every step of the way.

Rhiannon Williamson is the publisher of http://www.shelteroffshore.com/ - the online resource that guides you to a low tax, maximum investment profit lifestyle abroad.

Shelter Offshore features three main channels - offshore investment, property investment abroad and overseas lifestyle.