Notice of Defalts / Contacting the Owner

I am looking to get a idea of what others here do or have done to contact the owners after a “Notice of Default” has been posted in the paper and county court house. Would there be a chance for a short sale at this time??

The other question I have is this? If there has been a posting of a “Notice of Default” and an aution date has been set for a give day at the county court house and then the notice for the aution is taken down before the auction date, does that mean that the owners have gotton the monies together and all sales are off? Would it even be worth while to try to contact the owners or the lender.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Joe