Houses in Skyrim come with huge benefits for the Dragonborn. Houses let you store all of the expensive items you have, give a rest bonus, hold an alchemy and enchantment table and more! But buying a house isn’t as straightforward as you’d imagine.
To earn the chance to buy a house in Skyrim, you must gain the favor of the hold’s leader, or Jarl. To gain the Jarl’s favor, players can complete a number of odd tasks and miscellaneous objectives. Usually, these quests are to kill bandits, collect an item and so on. Once you earn the trust of the Jarl (and in some cases the people of the hold) you will earn the title of Thane. Thanes of holds have benefits beyond the ability to buy a home, like the occasional get out of jail free card.
All Purchasable Homes in Skyrim
Okay, now that you’ve become a Thane, here are the places you can buy homes. Note: not all holds have houses available for purchase.
Whiterun: Breezehome – 5,000 Gold (Does not have Arcane Enchanter)
Riften: Honeyside – 5,000 – 8,000*
Windhelm – Hjerim – 8,000 – 12,000*
Solitude – Proudspire Manor – 25,000
Raven Rock (Dragonborn DLC) – Severin Manor – Raven Rock – Complete the quest “Served Cold”
Markarth – Vlindrel Hall – Markarth – 8000
*Homes in Riften and Windhelm may be purchased for less depending on how much gold the Dragonborn is holding at time of purchase.
With the addition of the Hearthfire DLC, the Dragonborn can also buy plots of land. Plots of land let players build their own homes. Like houses, you must complete a quest in order to be able to purchase the plot for 5,000 gold. There are three different plot locations in Skyrim:
Heljarchen Hall – The Pale
Lakeview Manor – Falkreath Hold
Windstad Manor – Hjaalmarch
Building your own house on a plot offers more customization but requires that you build it yourself. Along with this DLC is the ability to adopt children and bring them to live with you. Sleeping in a house that has both children and spouses gives additional bonuses. Players afflicted with lycanthropy, however, will not receive these special rest bonuses.
Purchasing a house in Skyrim isn’t something you have to do. Players who marry characters with their own houses may move into their spouse’s home. There are also different homes scattered across the country unlocked via faction quests like The Companions or the Thieves Guild. This is a viable option if you don’t have enough gold to buy your own home. The minimum is 5,000 Septums which, in the grand scheme, isn’t that much, but do yourself a favor and commit to buying a house.
