is that lepe is not necessarily going to get deal of the century. in this case, a short sale, of course, is a case where the bank is allowing the seller to sell the home for less than the seller actually owes the bank. so you're not dealing with a desperate seller in this situation. you're dealing with a very shrewd financial institution that is potentially losing a lot of money. so they're not going to be willing to negotiate with you on price. you're buying the house as-is. so any problem that exists there is your problem. >> right. >> that's really the main thing. >> all right. so look ought for those things. you can get a great deal. i have had friends get great deals on short sales, but keep your alerts up. thank you so much. the help desk is about getting you answers. sending us an e-mail to cnn.com or log on to cnn.com/helpdesk to see more financial solutions. you can also pick up the latest issue of "money" on newstands now.