WHAT IS A HOUSING LOTTERY?

An affordable Housing Lottery is to give low-moderate income households, the opportunity of Home Ownership. This is a ‘First-Time’ home buyer program, through Mass Housing, in which Potential Buyers (Applicants) submit their application along with supporting documents to be reviewed and approved for the program. Once the application is reviewed and the applicant is deemed eligible for the Affordable Program, he/she will be submitted into a drawing for the next available affordable homes/condos. 

Advertising for an Affordable Housing Development is conducted over a 60-day period in accordance with Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing rules and regulations.

Specific dates for the Submittal Deadline and Lottery dates are included in the Lottery Packet.

Applicants that meet the eligibility requirements including but not limited to:

• First time homebuyer (a buyer who has not owned a home in the last 3 years *)
• Household grow income cannot exceed maximum allowed income.
• Household assets cannot exceed $75,000.

Applications are randomly drawn on the date of the Lottery in a public forum in accordance with the information in the Lottery Packet. Some developments due to the large number of housing units, may require more than one Lottery.

LOTTERY TYPES:

Active – These are lotteries where applications are being accepted on or prior to a certain actual lottery drawing date. A wait list is maintained in accordance with the applicants ranking in the lottery.

First come first serve – In addition post lottery applications may be submitted. These applicants will be place on a subsequent list. However, the sales prices of the affordable homes may change.

LOTTERY PACKET

Please refer to the Lottery Packet for specific information regarding a particular development. The packet will include a Q&A section and an Application.

*There are certain exceptions to the First Time Home Buyer rule, generally they are:

• Displaced/divorced person.
• Single parents where the individual owned a home with his or her partner or resided in a home owned by the partner and is a single parent is unmarried or legally separated from a spouse and either has 1 or more children of whom the individual has custody or joint custody or is pregnant.
• Elderly households (where at least one household member is 55 or over).