Pre-foreclosure status means the owner of the property has defaulted on his mortgage obligation and the lender is taking steps to foreclose on the loan and take possession of the property. This situation places the property owner and the lender in a disadvantaged position. But it may not be too late for the property owner to work things out with his lender. At the same time the lender may be interested in allowing a short sale (sale of the property for less than the amount owed) just to avoid the costly process of foreclosure on the loan, and then the expense of marketing the property. That leaves open the opportunity for a real estate investor to come in and solve the problem for both parties.