Housing Sales Lottery Process

Stanford Faculty Staff Housing (FSH), within the Office of the Provost, offers certain on-campus and off-campus ground leased homes for purchase through a lottery process. This page explains how the lottery process works, including eligibility, how entries are earned and accumulated, what happens if a selected home is declined, and what restrictions apply after a successful purchase.

Overview

Faculty Staff Housing uses a lottery process for certain homes offered for sale to eligible faculty. Under this process, each eligible participant begins with one base entry, and participants who enter a lottery and are not selected earn additional entries for future lotteries. 

Who may participate

Lottery Sale homes are offered to eligible faculty who:

  • Satisfy all eligibility criteria for the specific home 
     
  • Physically attend an open house or private tour of the home
     
  • Submit an offer during the stated offer period 
     
  • Complete the purchase of the home in accordance with program requirements

Eligibility for Stanford housing purchase programs is described on our eligibility page, and property-specific lottery listings may be found at our homes for sale listings.

How to participate in a lottery

Submitting an offer:

  • A Purchase Offer Packet must be submitted electronically through the FSH website by selecting the “Submit an Offer” button on the property listing page 
     
  • The submission process includes uploading a pre-qualification letter and completing a Deposit Form via DocuSign

Purchase Offer Packets received prior to the submission deadline will be considered as received at 8:30 a.m. on the deadline date.


How the lottery works

  1. Base entry
    Each eligible individual receives one base entry in each lottery, regardless of relationship status. 
     
  2. Earning additional entries
    If an eligible participant enters a lottery and is not selected, that participant earns one additional entry for the next eligible lottery in which they participate.
    Additional entries continue to accumulate over time with repeated unsuccessful participation. There is no cap on accumulated entries. This approach recognizes continued participation by those who have entered multiple lotteries without success. 
     
  3. Participation in multiple lotteries
    Eligible individuals may participate in multiple lottery home sales with concurrent offer periods subject to the eligibility requirements for each home and any other applicable program rules. 


How entries are counted
 

For each lottery, a participant’s total number of entries equals:
1 base entry + any accumulated additional entries

Example

  • First lottery entered: participant has 1 entry
  • Second lottery entered: participant has 2 entries
  • Third lottery entered: participant has 3 entries
  • And so on, as long as the participant continues to enter and is not selected

This structure is intended to preserve a simple and understandable process while improving the likelihood of selection for participants who have been unsuccessful at winning previous lotteries. 


How the lottery drawing works
 

  • In the event that multiple Purchase Offer Packets are received prior to or concurrently at the submission deadline, a random-number-generated drawing (the “Lottery”) will be conducted to establish a ranking of participants.
  • All affected participants will be notified of the lottery drawing 
     
  • Offers received after the submission deadline will not be included in the lottery
     
  • If no offers are received by the deadline, the property will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis


If an offered home is declined
 

There is a consequence if a participant is selected for a home and then declines to proceed.
If a participant declines a home after being selected:

  • All accumulated additional entries are forfeited 
     
  • The participant returns to the base entry level for future lotteries 
     
  • Additional entries can begin to accumulate in the future for unsuccessful tries

This approach is intended to encourage thoughtful participation and to reinforce that entry into the lottery reflects a genuine intent to purchase.


If a participant successfully purchases a home


Upon a successful home purchase through the lottery:

  • All accumulated entries are forfeited 
     
  • The participant becomes ineligible to participate in any housing sales lottery for three years from close of escrow

This restriction is intended to support thoughtful purchasing decisions and to help ensure that homes meet the needs of buyers for a meaningful period of time, while maintaining equitable access to the program.


Transition to the new process
 

Participants who have entered lotteries prior to the implementation of the new process will receive additional entries based on their prior lottery participation, reduced by any prior declines.


For example, a participant who previously entered 7 lotteries and declined 2 selected homes would receive 5 additional entries in the next eligible lottery.


This transition approach is intended to recognize prior participation without retroactively applying new consequences to past decisions.


This page is intended to provide a general overview of the lottery process. In the event of any inconsistency, the terms outlined in the property listing materials and governing program documents will govern.