Seeking out advice when shopping for a buy to let mortgage in the UK should always been done after professional advice - but there are ways for UK property investors to succeed without help. They will probably pay more for the mortgage and it may not be quite as flexible, but they may well survive. Alternatively, if you are searching for a buy to let mortgage after some international property investment, advice is crucial. If you try and seek out a mortgage and a property on foreign shores without first listening to and heeding professional advice, things are undoubtedly going to go wrong. For foreign property investment success, advice is paramount.

Many Brits dream of leaving the shackles of the office and earning their money in the sun or on the snow, as an international property investor but for most it's just a daydream. But for some, for those who are really serious and ready for hard work, it is possible to be successful as a buy to let landlord outside of the UK. But those successful landlords all sought advice from a professional financial adviser - because there is nothing easy about foreign property investment.

First, you are going to have to do your homework. Go online and find out all you can about the area where you wish to invest - has it proved to be a successful property area? Are there many foreign investors there? What is the future for the area? Will you be making a property investment in an area where growth is imminent, or have you already missed the boat? Talk to people who have already invested in the area - what problems did they and do they face as international buy to let landlords? What can you learn from property investment experience?

Also, don't immediately ignore the horror stories, but take them at face value. Tales of people buying useless land or having their dream property investment snatched from them are rare and over-exaggerated, but they do teach some valuable lessons - international property investment must be entered into with open eyes and a cool head. Expect the unexpected and do not trust any advice unless it is from a reputable source.

Many people assume that because the legalese in the UK is so straightforward and watertight, then it will be the same abroad - they couldn't be more wrong. Property investment abroad is a legal and financial minefield because their rules and their mortgages may be very different from ours in the UK. We are lucky to have a safe, mature property investment culture that rarely leaves people nursing burns - unfortunately the UK stands out in the world as a shining example of how property investment should be done.

So if you think your pounds could make you more money away from our shores with foreign property investment, don not hesitate to contact a financial adviser - but make sure when it comes to property investment abroad, they are the first call you make.