Exactly what is a short sale? It seems like this term is thrown around a lot in recent months around the Real Estate Community. As a seller or buyer you may have heard this term and often wondered what it means. A short sell happens when the lender is agreeing to accept less than what is owed on the mortgage. For example if you owe the lender $150,000 on your mortgage but your home is only worth $135,000 then you are $15,000 short and that does not include your closing cost, real estate commissions, (1 comments)