I would not suggest house farming. When I see a neighbor with all houses and poor design, I tend to remove them. Here are some tips:
1) Don't grow corn - you're better off growing 2 crops of silvertongue a day ($550). If you have witch marge you can grow even more. If you're looking for xp (donuts at level up) grow triffeds (250XP).
2) Set characters to 12 hr tasks at night, and 4 and 6 hour tasks during day (assuming you can log in 2-3 times per day). If you can only log in once go with 12 night/ 8 day
3) Maximize your neighbors. If you have people visiting your town daily, you will collect more money
4) If you have donuts, premium characters earn 2x's the money
5) enjoy the pace. once you've bought everything you have less to look forward to between events.