PHOENIX -- Getting approval for a short sale is getting easier, according to Valley short sale negotiator Nick Olheiser.

Olheiser, who works for Pruven Real Estate & Investments in Glendale, credits a government program that was launched in April to help speed up short sales.

“It's a little simpler now,” he said.

Olheiser said his clients began qualifying for the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives program, or HAFA, about a month ago.

The program, he said, has helped banks improve their ability to process short sales.

Valley real estate experts said short sales, in which a lender allows a homeowner to sell a home for less than their mortgage is worth, are notoriously time consuming and difficult.

“We've seen short sales take as long as 13 to 15 months to go through”, Olheiser said.

The HAFA program gives lenders who approve a short sale within 45 days a $1,500 fee.

Homeowners receive $3,000 in moving expenses.

Still, Olheiser said, short sales are challenging.

"Something that you see that can be a complication even today with the banks is this jumbling of paperwork, losing, moving files. It can be difficult to get them information and get them to look at it,” he said.

Olheiser said banks often want more money for homes than buyers offer, especially if a second mortgage is involved.

"If the buyer is unwilling to come up with their offer, it's pretty much a dead deal, if you can't get the second lien to approve,” he said.

HAFA was established to help homeowners who can’t qualify or complete loan modifications avoid foreclosures.

Homeowners on the verge of foreclosure can also request to take part in HAFA.