Preforeclosure question?

Suppose there is a preforeclosure that is a good deal and I know a friend who might be interested in buying a house. How would I go about in approaching the seller so that he or she deals with me and I can be the middleman and make a commission from my friend. Is a RE license required? Would a downpayment agreement from me with the seller to close before a certain date suffice? The property is in New York. Could I just hire a title company or an RE attorney to take care of the paperwork or do I need an RE agent? Anyone got any advice?