Your Realtor is exactly right if you have indicated that you need to be in a home within a short time period.

My partner and I have successfully closed dozens of short sales and have found the average timeframe to be 60 - 120 days. There are many factors to consider. House prices are the best we have seen in many years regardless of whether it is a bank owned, short sale, or privately for sale by an individual . Your choices, as always, will be impacted by the time and money you have to contribute to the mix.

I have included a previous short sale answer in the following link that also covers some of the challenges you might expect with a short sale.
http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/I_saw_a_home_at_wha…

Kay Pearson, CRS
Associate Broker
Nettles Coastal Realty
kay@nettlescoastalrealty.com

Both Gabe and Mike have given you great answers for our area. There are numerous factors that need to be considered when you are dealing with a short sale, and some times those things take time. Remember, the lender will be taking a loss, so they want to make sure that the short sale is the best way to move the property.

It all depends on the short sale. It can be a complex deal. If you're Realtor is profficient in short sales and can get the right background information it can be fairly quick, but it can also take a long time. They can be difficult and some realtors don't like or are not well versed in the complexities of these transactions.

Good luck.

Short sales can take up to 6 months or longer. It all depends on the complexity of the transaction, the number of parties involved and the listing agent. you can make a good buy sometimes or you may lose out. Either way you must have great patience.

Best buys are short sales unless you are in a hurry to close, should take about 60 days.