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Once you arrive in your town you’ll be greeted by a few villagers and Isabelle, you secretary. Isabelle will give you a town map after greeting you in your position as mayor of the town.

You’ll then need to take Isabelle to the Town Hall to start your work as mayor. Isabelle will tell you that you need a home and send you on your way to Nook’s Homes.

You’ll be appointed the mayor whether you like it or not.

Nook’s Homes is run by Tom Nook the estate agent on Main Street. You can get there by walking to the north part of your town and crossing the railroad tracks. Once you speak to Tom you’ll be able to pick a plot for your new house.

Take Tom out into the town and when you’ve found a spot you like, speak to Tom to start construction. Tom will give you a tent to sleep in until your house is built.

Upon entering your tent for the first time, Isabelle will visit you to give you a lantern as a welcoming present. For now head back to Isabelle in the Town Hall.

When you speak to Isabelle she will ask you for your birthday and give you your Town Pass Card. After this Isabelle will take you to the plaza to plant a tree and commemorate your arrival as mayor.

After this you can speak to Tom Nook to confirm the cost of your house. You’ll need to pay off 10000 bells before your house will be built.

You can earn money in a number of ways around the town so it shouldn’t take you too long to reach 10000 bells. You can find detailed information for earning money elsewhere in this section but for starters try the following:

  • Catch fish from the sea or river and sell them at Re-Tail. Keep an eye out for bigger shadows and shadows with fins as these will be worth a lot of money
  • Catch bugs around your town to sell at Re-Tail. Generally speaking, big butterflies and beetles are worth a lot of money
  • Pick up shells from the beach and sell them at Re-Tail. You can pick these up while you’re fishing to maximise your earning potential
  • Sell fruit from your trees. These won’t be worth as much as fruit you get from other towns so there’s no need to keep them to replant and grow into new trees. Remember that you’ll earn more money if you sell your own fruit in a town where that fruit doesn’t grow natively.

Once you’ve got 10000 bells, speak to Tom Nook to pay him and he’ll let you choose the colour of your roof (blue, green, red or yellow).

When your new house has been built Isabelle will visit you after you enter it. She will give you a piece of wallpaper and a carpet so you can get started with decorating your new house.

Now that your house has been built you can return to Tom Nook to pay off the remainder of the house. That’s right, the initial 10000 bells was a mere down payment; Nook is a rascal of a racoon!

After you pay off this loan you can upgrade your house further. Check the “Nook’s Homes” chapter in the “Main Street” section for more details.

Making Money on Day 1 Video

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Nintendo
  • Platforms,
    3DS
  • Genre
    Social simulation
  • Guide Release
    29 July 2013
  • Last Updated
    7 December 2020
  • Guide Author
    James Bowden

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Animal Crossing: New Leaf sees you crowned mayor as a result of a bit of an accident. When you arrive, Isabelle the town clerk will reveal that you’ve been given the post and from there you can do whatever you please! Use your powers as the mayor to shape the town however you wish, whether this means building bridges, creating public works projects or laying down laws (or ordinances as they are known). With all this freedom, you could soon have the home and town of your dreams!

Version 1.1:

  • How to get the most out of those vital first few days in town.
  • The easiest ways to stuff your coffers with loads of money.
  • Detailed information on every shop in Main Street.
  • Exact dates for every Special Event in the entire game!
  • Complete your encyclopaedia with every Bug and Fish in the game!
  • Where to find every special visitor and what they can offer you.
  • A full furniture list so you can find exactly what you need to build the perfect home.
  • Beautiful screenshots and exclusive HD 3DS tutorial videos with audio commentary!
  • Comprehensive list of furniture, wallpapers and carpets.
  • Comprehensive list of clothes and accessories.
  • Special event pages for the snowman season and Weeding Day.
  • List of all the decorative public work projects and who requests them.

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