how to initiate a short sale?

[Lee V]

One of my employees told me today that her mom is planning to let her house go into foreclosure. She states that her mom wants to buy another home before starting to miss payments.

Now, I see this as an opportunity. HOw could I go about initiating talks with her lender about purchasing this home as a short sale? Do I have go throught a realtor ? I know that there is an authorization form that the homeowner can sign and allow me to start discussion with the lender, but how do I purchase this without a realtor?