25 Pleasant St, Ipswich MA New Construction Lottery

Lottery Description:
1. The application for this housing opportunity will be generally available, including on-line, in hardcopy at the Regional Housing Services Office and Ipswich town office, and sent to anyone interested in the lottery. Notice of the lottery will be advertised, and communicated widely through local, regional and state channels.
2. Applications are to be submitted with all required information by the deadline. Applications can be mailed or dropped off at the address above. Applications that are dropped off should be placed in the big black metal mailbox outside the RHSO office building. Applications may also be emailed, but accompanying documentation must be compiled such that the total submission email/s has no more than 5 attachments, with the applicant consolidating the information. Applicants are encouraged to complete the checklist as an aide to the process.
3. The applicant’s household size will be determined from the application, and the required number of bedrooms as indicated on the application. Priority shall be given to households requiring three bedrooms, and then two bedrooms, followed by one bedroom.
4. The maximum gross household income will be verified and compared to the HUD 2024 published income limits.
1 person- $91,200, 2 person- $104,200, 3 person- $117,250,
4 person- $130,250, 5-person- $140,700, 6-person- $151,100

5. The household assets will be verified and compared to the $75,000 maximum asset limit. Assets include but are not limited to all cash, cash in savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit, bonds, stocks, cash value of retirement accounts, value of real estate holdings, any gift amount and other capital investments. Equity from the sale of any home will be included with other household assets that cannot exceed a total of $75,000.
6. Eligible applicants must be a First-time Homebuyer. This is further defined as a household that has not owned a home within three years, including in trust, preceding the application, with the exception of displaced homemaker, single parents and senior households (at least one household member is 55 or over). Any previously or currently owned home must be sold prior to purchase of the affordable unit.

A displaced homemaker is an individual who is an adult, who has owned a home only with a spouse, who is legally separated from a spouse, and who does not currently own the home previously owned with a spouse.

Single parents are individuals who 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);

Additional exceptions are made for households that owned a principal residence not permanently affixed to a permanent foundation, and households that owned a property that was not in compliance with State, local or model building codes.
Eligible applicants cannot own residential property, whether for primary, secondary or investment purposes.
7. Persons must submit all the necessary information by the application deadline. Late applications (applications mailed and/or received after the above date) and applications that are incomplete will not be accepted.
8. All applicants will be screened for eligibility. Applicants who have been deemed ineligible will be notified in writing of the decision. Applicants are permitted to appeal to the Sudbury Housing Trusts for a determination of ineligibility.
9. Once the Lottery Agent has verified the information contained in the application and confirmed eligibility, a lottery number or numbers and lottery form will be issued, and the applicant will move forward to the lottery.
10. A final lottery eligibility letter will be mailed to each applicant indicating their final eligibility determination and the lottery specifics (date/time).
11. The lottery numbers will be pulled randomly in a public setting. Lottery numbers will be assigned a number in the sequence in which they are drawn and recorded in the order of selection on the Lottery Drawing Lists. The list of numbers drawn will be posted and letters will be mailed within three business days to the winners.

12. Once the tickets have been randomly drawn and listed in the drawn order, the units are then 
ranked based on bedroom size. The top ranked household needing at least the number of bedrooms in 
the unit will be offered the opportunity to purchase the unit. The household size preference shall 
be given to households based on the following criteria.
▪ There is at least one occupant per bedroom.
▪  A husband and wife, or those in a similar living arrangement, shall be required to share a 
bedroom (unless it is medically necessary).
▪  Other household members may share but shall not be required to share a bedroom.

13. The lottery agent shall maintain all Lottery Drawing Lists. In the event that any of the 
applicants withdraw for any reason, or do not comply with the guidelines, the next qualified 
applicants in the lottery pool ranked by bedroom size need, will be offered the unit.
14. The Monitoring Agent then review the buyer's income, assets and other criteria before the buyer 
can proceed to purchase the unit. Approved applicants will be given 10 days to agree to purchase 
the unit before the next person can
be offered the opportunity.