I remember telling the Novice Network and my fc how there are about 20 plots in Goblet in patch 5.1 when people were taking breaks and complaining about lack of content. Very few were interested, mostly because there was a chance they'd have to click. I finally went to one of the plots that had had it's price devalued by a significant amount, indicating that it had been freed up a while ago. Hit the placard and just bought it because the random timer had finished. No one else around. I later relocated to a better location. Easy and guaranteed, and this is not even a low pop server.

I preferred the old system to a lottery for obvious reasons. Now people don't even have to check plots every day, which increases competition by rewarding passive players. Also can't choose to relocate to a nice spot if you get there first. At the very least auto demolish needs to come back so these players who can get a house by barely logging in will actually have to care about their house if they want to keep it. Thankfully free companies are able to get theirs pretty painlessly without having to engage in this garbage lotto every week for years.