Here is some (more) bad news for homeowners, but good news for buyers: At least one in five homes on the market are "short sells," according to real estate agents quoted by MSNBC.

The practice is so common -- at least a third of shorts sells do not go through -- that real estate agents are including this information in their marketing materials.

Short sales have become so mainstream in some markets, such as this region of central California, that during March he and the developer behind the complex began promoting these properties’ status as re-priced "short sale" homes — homes priced below what the seller owes on their mortgage — in order to lure skeptical, price-conscious buyers.

The Village at Green River has hung a banner advertising "short sale" prices, and the complex’s voicemail greeting discusses its status as "a short sale situation."

"We had a significant response just from changing the sign so that it advertises prices starting at $299,000," (Dominic) Kurtyan says. "It’s a negative situation for everyone involved, except for the buyer who gets a good deal."

Indeed, while buyers will get townhouses each boasting a two-car garage, two bedrooms, and two and a half bathrooms, the developer behind the estimated $8 million project will walk away empty-handed at these prices, and the multiple lenders involved will either break even or lose money, Kurtyan says.

About 20 percent of home sales nationwide are short sales, according to Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance. The number, he said, would be higher if a third of all attempted short sales actually went through.