&gt; If you have the cash to pay them off, then they don&#x27;t get to say no even if it&#x27;s a short sale.<p>If you <i>actually</i> pay them off, then they don&#x27;t get to say no, because paying them off is, essentially, buying out their interest in the property, under the terms of an existing contract. That doesn&#x27;t negate the fact that they have legally-enforceable rights in the property until and unless you do that.<p>&gt; Alternatively, you can generally walk away and sell it to them for the value of the loan.<p>Only if the mortgage is governed by the law of a jurisdiction where pursuit of mortgage deficiency isn&#x27;t allowed (either in general or for mortgages in the specific conditions yours has.)