Do we know the long-term goals?

Game looks great, only one thing is really keeping me from making a purchase. I'm not sure what the larger goals are. I've seen many videos highlighting gameplay and it looks like the main thing I do is design a town how I see fit.

In old animal crossing you had a debt to pay off and then you could save up money to purchase larger houses. I'm wondering what carrot on a stick is there to get me to stick around and play the game for many hours?

Thanks :)