Is the owner listed with a Realtor?
If so, have your REaltor ask these questions.

The short sale process is pretty specific and if the owner has not yet asked for approval, it is likely that there will be a number of "surprises" during this process.

The best thing is to have the listing agent ask the seller about your concerns. In general making an offer on property that is going to be a short sale, but the short sale is not approved, tends to be very long process ( 4-6 months). Bear in mind that if you are thinking that you can buy the property under fair market value, it is unlikely that the lender will agree to sell it for below market.

The probability of you getting the seller's financial situation lies somewhere between slim and none, and slim left town. Put this in perspective - how would YOU feel if someone divulged YOUR financial situation to others?

You could ask, but I highly doubt the seller or the seller's agent will divulge that information. If the seller's agent divulged the seller's financial situation, he or she and his or her broker would be in breach of his or her or their fiduciary responsibility to the seller.