i usually look around their town to see if i can steal anything first lol
i check in houses and storage for unorderables and see if they have hybrids/clovers/other things i'd like my new town, and then i gather everything i want, have someone hold onto the items for me, and reset
i don't ever continue with their town because then it doesn't ever feel like reeeaally my town :')
I have rescued abandoned used towns.
99% of the time the town has only been played for less than a week. Hardly any furniture. Not even 10 villagers.
I had Ch?vre move in from an abandoned town and she lived in my town for a long time.
I bought a new Wild World cartridge with 2 existing characters. It has Nookingtons! It has a nice map. The players obviously played and loved their villagers. I have kept that town.
Oh and whenever possible I weed the town. Gotta get that weeding badge!