Deficiency judgment inevitable?

Hi, I am considering making an offer on a pre-foreclosure property for it to be my family home (ie. not just an investment). It’s going to have to be a short sale, though, it’s not worth what is owed.

In these circumstances, is a deficiency judgment against the current owners inevitable/likely/unlikely/impossible? They are completely broke. The state is MD, in case it matters.

Tx

in most cases I THINK the banks waive the judgement BUT they will issue a 1099. So if the bank is owed 100k and you pay 90k, the homeowner will get a 1099 for 10k. Not to much of a big deal (they will have a slightly larger tax bill) unless they are on welfare, SSI, or any other govt assistance that is income based. Then its possible theywill loose their benefits.