Tom Nook started out as a small shop owner and has since grown with the series to become a real estate Tycoon. During our time in the Animal Crossing series, we have seen him run a shop, be a loan breaker, open a real estate business, and even offer home remodels. Now that he has made a substantial amount of income, he has decided to find new ways to try and build wealth quickly. To do this, Tom Nook started offering an appealing getaway package that claims to let you start a new life, but was it really a smart business move? Below are the ten reasons Tom Nook too up island real estate.
10 Business Vacation
While players aren't quite convinced that characters from the series aren't immortal, it's probably safe to save that Tom Nook was young in the first game. Now that he's spent a lot of time building up his business and building houses, he probably wanted to take a vacation. It's not surprising that our bell hungry tanuki would try to figure out a way to make money while he relaxes.
Selling island homes is the perfect way for Nook to soak up the sun while taking your hard-earned bells.
9 Less to Worry About
Once your own the island, Tom Nook has already put you in debt and even if it's just a tent, you have a place to live. As long as Nook keeps getting humans to take the island getaway package, he doesn't have to do anything more than basic set-up and hand you a tent to enjoy a nice beach and earn some extra bells. You wanting to expand the island is just a plus for his wallet.
He even brings a set of golf clubs and putting hole with him to his tent.
8 No Judging Eyes
Along with being able to not worry about a thing, there are no officials to judge Nook's behavior. He can literally say, charge, or do anything he wants without having to worry about repercussions. As a businessman on a new venture, this can be a particularly exciting perk as he won't have to jump through as many hoops to build a house or charge you for a cheap tent.
There isn't even law enforcement on your new island, and it probably makes Nook a bit happy.
7 Untapped Territory
From what we've seen of the Animal Crossing universe, the only person to own or even go to an island is Kapp'n and his family. That means that islands are just now becoming a viable solution for travel, and Nook jumped on the opportunity as soon as he could figure out a way to market it. Living on an island is a fantasy for many hard workers around the world, and Nook knows this.
He even markets the package as an escape from everyday life.
6 Cornering The Market
Like we said above, Kapp'n is the only animal we have seen live on an island. That means that Tom Nook is one of the first to expand in the business of island real estate. This makes him the only known way to move to an island and gives him a monopoly on the tropical market. With no competition in the site, he can charge any price he feels like to those who take him up on his offer.
Now that he has control over island construction in the game's universe, we doubt anyone will stop him.
5 Test Audience
One of the best ways to make sure your products are working as expected is to hire a test market. In Nook's case, though, every resident has now spent their savings on moving to an island he owns and must use Nook branded devices in order to do everyday things like deposit money into a bank. Even the phone you're using is a Nook Phone that you have to pay for in your first loan.
This is a great way to not waste money while testing out new products for a bigger market.
4 Rare Resources
When you go to an uninhabited island, there is a chance you can find tons of raw resources and rare species of animals. We are betting that Nook knows this and is making tons of money off of the Tommy and Timmy sending ore to the mainland. While you may feel like you're getting a good deal for your gold ore, just think how much more money the Nook family is making from exporting it.
Even the island's wildlife probably fetches hefty amounts of bells from collectors around the world.
3 Tired of Playing it Safe
Tom Nook has always seemed to operate his business very slowly and only expand when he has a certain amount of money. In New Horizons, though, he takes a huge risk by switching to island real estate. This is a bit out of Nook's character when you really think about it, but we know he has quite a bit of money to spend, and to be honest, he's probably bored of playing it safe.
What better way to risk a huge sum of money than trying to set up your very own island?
2 Political Control
Since Nook owns the island, he is actually in charge of pretty much everything. You have to talk to him to build bridges and houses. New residents need to talk with Nook before being able to set foot on the island, and he seems to be the one who helps other businesses move in. After you upgrade the town hall, he will even force you to help him improve town approval so he can hold a concert.
We think Nook may have just wanted to use his political pull to meet K.K. Slider.
1 Get Rich Quick
There is a possibility that Nook had already dabbled with the idea of selling island land to unsuspecting villagers. The appeal of being able to walk to a beach every day and bask in rays may have just made him realize how easy it would be to earn more bells. Maybe, just maybe, the island isn't a risky business venture for the tanuki but is actually a well thought out plan to empty your pockets.
We have already seen that Nook is bell hungry, so there's no telling how long he has had this planned.