As stated, you need to contact a lender as soon as possible to see if you qualify for a mortgage. If you are a first time homebuyer there are programs available to help you purchase.

I am doing another short sale in Dover, so if you need help, please give me a call.

You need to find out whether you can qualify for a loan to purchase this home. Your credit problems may make this difficult because the underwriting for loans has become more stringent because of the current foreclosure problems. Still you might be able to qualify. How bad is your credit? You should consider using a co-signer if you have someone like parents who would agree to do this for you. However, the situation could be detrimental to their credit rating if you do not make regular payments.

Perhaps the current mortgage lender would be a good place to start since they are going to lose less money with a short sale than if they have to go forward with a foreclosure. Do you have a Realtor to help you with this purchase? Good luck.