Short sale contract bnding or not

[Sam M.]

I am looking at a Montana short sale addendum to purchase and sale agreement and see the following:
Third party approval of the short sale/no binding contract
Buyer and seller acknowledge that the sale of the property is subject to written approval of Third Parties. BUYER AND SELLER THEREFORE ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THERE IS NO BINDING CONTRACT FOR THE PURCHASE AND SALE OF THE PROPERTY UNTIL THE BUYER, SELLER AND THE THIRD PARTIES REACH A WRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH EACH OTHER AS PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 7 BELOW

I see no such lingo in ss addendums from other states. As a matter of fact in Minnesota the addendum reads in bold CAPS:
THIS PAGE IS PART OF A LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT BETWEEN BUYER(S) AND SELLER(S)

[Jon Holdman]

While the language might not be there, this is the case everywhere. A contact with the owner of a short sale property is a step toward making the deal happen, but by itself is nearly worthless. Without the lender's approval the deal is not going to happen.