House farming- easy cash or lazy gamesmanship?

Ironically, I didn't have any kind of house farm until I was already maximum level. At Christmas, when you needed to tap a building for the presents I added a section of brown houses to give my neighbors a better chance of getting something. When they friendship points started back I put a smaller version back in. While I don't like it in my SF, I do like knowing none of my neighbors are going away empty handed when they visit.

I also have a neighbor (I don't remember the name now) who built a house farm around the perimeter of their town with pink houses. It is eight or nine houses deep and makes the perfect Homer "donut".