buying a short sale If you want to buy a home in today's market, buying a short sale is likely to be your best move. A short sale is one where the home owner owes more money on the home than its current market value, and their mortgage lender has agreed to accept less money for the home from a buyer rather than having to force a foreclosure and carrying the home as real estate owned. When you are shopping for a home, tell your Realtor you want to try buying a short sale first. He or she should be able to help you out with a fairly long list of homes on the market in this category. When you are buying a short sale, you are merely purchasing the home or property for its perceived market value, which is less than what the present owners owe on the home. For the seller, a short sale represents a great way to get out of the home without having a big ding on their credit reports as the result of a foreclosure.