Not every agent has the expertise needed to help you buy a short sale. Buying and selling short sales is a specialized field and the chances of buying a home in short sale is unlikely to be successful without the expert guidance of a Short Sale Foreclosure  Specialist agent who knows what is involved in getting a short sale to closing. 

I am not an attorney, tax  or investment professional you should always seek advice on these matters from experts in this field.

Not every buyer is a good candidate for buying a short sale property There are certain criteria a buyer must meet to ensure a happy outcome for both buyer and seller.

A short sale buyer must be prepared for the possible pitfalls, the frustration (almost guaranteed to happen), the qualifications required and help in identifying a property that is worth the trouble of pursuing this option. Some properties may be able to bought at a greatly discounted price and still be a good buy but many will not be, most really good properties will only sell slightly below average market value. They are not foreclosures and the lender will not give the properties away in a short sale. The seller has to produce a strong buyer with a strong offer or the lender will deny the short sale and proceed to foreclosure or accept another stronger offer.

A short sale buyer must have a very flexible time frame for closing short sales are not short sales they can take months to close and may not close at all if all the conditions are not met.  That's why it is imperative that if you are considering buying a short sale that you have a short sale qualified buyer representative work with you. The chances for success without that expertise is almost n chance of a successful ending. An experienced short sale specialist will know how to protest your interests as a buyer of a short sale property and your chances of ending up with the keys are greater. There are so many things that can go wrong that entering into a short sale contract without an experienced agent is almost sure to fail. Lenders are not happy to allow the homeowner to do a short sale because the work and expense involved is not attractive due to their overload of work as it is with all the homeowners in distress.  But when approached the right way with the right buyer and the right conditions most of them would rather take that than to have to resort to foreclosure.