I can think of a number of reasons for not letting you withdraw. One is that it shows commitment that you want that property. Two is that someone could get a bunch of friends to join a lottery for a house their friend wanted to intimidate others from joining, then leave at the last minute so their friend wins. Or three, someone that isn't a friend but has a lot of bots could get someone to give them money to do that. Holding the attempt in until the lottery happens eliminates any chance of that.

For the relocation bypass removal, it's about time. I'm saying this as someone who does have a house. It was not remotely fair that I could just go relocate to a choice location that opened up and didn't have to participate in whatever manner those without a house did. That's a loophole they should have fixed a long time ago.