Highlights

  • Skyrim offers a degree of freedom that few RPGs can match, allowing players to explore vast dungeons, sell goods, and own a unique house.
  • There are nine houses in total for players to purchase, each with their own design and unique acquisition methods.
  • The houses vary in requirements, from completing quests and hiring stewards to fighting enemies and obtaining resources for construction.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim offers a degree of freedom that few RPGs can match. Players can explore vast dungeons, sell goods they find while adventuring, or sit in their home and read books. The immersion factor of Skyrim is immense, and part of what makes it so immersive is owning a unique house that players can make their own.

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There are nine houses in total for players to purchase, each with their own design and unique acquisition methods. Most Holds have some type of property to obtain, but the requirements for each can vary wildly. For those who are completionists or want to obtain a certain house, here is what players need to do to obtain each of Skyrim's player homes.

Update on October 8, 2023 by Sarah Prado: The Anniversary Edition of Skyrim breathed new life into the game by including new quests, items, and homes. With the new houses, players are sure to find the perfect one for them to settle especially since some of them are easier and cheaper to attain than the ones in the vanilla version. Some of them require skill, gold, and sometimes a little construction, but they’re worth the investment. There are plenty of options to choose, and this discussion has been updated to include how to get the houses that come with the Anniversary Edition.

19 Goldenhills Plantation (Whiterun Hold)

Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V 5 Goldenhills Plantation Anniversary Edition home house (Whiterun Hold)

To get this wonderful farm, players are going to have to put in some work and spend some gold. Players can pick up the quest “Bounty - Restless” from an innkeeper when asking for work or just head straight to Goldenhills Plantation. After completing the quest “Restless Spirits”, players will receive the key to the plantation and the quest for “A Farmer’s Life for Me” will appear.

Players will have to plant 10 crops and hire a steward. They can order the steward to hire farmhands and make upgrades to the house which cost about 4,800 gold. Also, iron ingots, nails, locks, and hinges along with other items like straw and firewood will be needed to make other things like the Farmhand Bunkhouse, stable, and other little areas.

18 Gallows Hall At Mara’s Eye Pond (Eastmarch)

Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V 5 house home Anniversary Edition Gallows Hall At Mara’s Eye Pond (Eastmarch)

This home is right next to Mara’s Eye Pond, southwest of Windhelm. Enter Gallows Hall and read Naara’s Journal to start the quest “Dreams of the Dead”. The quest itself isn’t long or complicated, making it very easy to get this house. No upgrades are needed either so players won’t have to worry about spending any gold or finding materials for it.

Once the quest is completed, players will have a new home that comes with a Vaermina shrine which lowers the cost of Illusion spells by 5%. It also comes with the unique Bone Forge. This forge allows the player to create a permanent undead follower if they provide the necessary ingredients for it. It also has an altar where players can create Black Soul Gems if they provide four Greater Soul Gems and/or Grand Soul Gems.

17 Dead Man’s Dread In Blackbone Isle (Haafingar)

Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V 5 Anniversary Edition house home Dead Man’s Dread In Blackbone Isle (Haafingar)

The perfect home for anyone who wants to live a pirate’s life. To get this house, go to The Winking Skeever in Solitude and read a note called “The Restless” and a quest with the same name will start. Head to the Castle Dour Dungeon, get a key to Kevon’s cell, and read his note, which will direct them to Orphan’s Tear. From here, players will just have to worry about fighting enemies.

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Be prepared for a long fight because there will be a lot of enemies to go through to complete the quest. After completing the quest, players will have to leave Blackbone Isle until they receive a note that will say the Dead Man’s Dread is now theirs.

16 Nchuanthumz In Frostroot Cave (Eastmarch)

Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V 5 Anniversary Edition house home Nchuanthumz In Frostroot Cave (Eastmarch)

A Dwemer that’s going to take some time and patience to get up and running. This quest starts by reading Seeks-Ancient-Artifacts’ Journal, v1, which can be found in one of the rooms at the Frozen Hearth in Windhelm. To get to the house, players will have to go through Frostroot Cave where some bandits will be. Once inside, there will be a few Skeevers to take care of. After clearing them out, head to Nchuathumz’s Manufactory. Examine the Argonian’s body which will tell players the next steps.

The Manufactory will have all the materials needed to construct the Dwarven Sphere Overseer and Dwarven Spider Renovators. Instruct the Spiders to renovate, and it will take about three days for the house to be fully restored. Once done, the player can move in and have just about everything they need without spending any gold.

15 Myrwatch (Hjaalmarch)

Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V 5 Anniversary Edition house home Myrwatch (Hjaalmarch)

One of the easiest homes to get, even easier than getting Breezehome in Whiterun. If players want to get a house real quick with little work, travel to Morthal and head east until Myrwatch comes into view. A leveled Charus will be walking around in front of the tower which will attack once players come into view. After defeating it, players need to examine Hans’s body which will have his journal.

To get into the tower, a fire spell needs to be cast on the eye-shaped seal on the ground. Luckily for players, Hans will have a Spell Tome: Flames on his person to make this easier for anyone who doesn’t know it. Once this is done, players will have access to the tower and a new home.

14 Hendraheim (The Reach)

Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V 5 Anniversary Edition house home Hendraheim (The Reach)

Players will receive a note from Eydvina Shield-Hearth once they reach level 10 and the quest “Hendraheim” will start. To get this house, players will have to defeat Eydvina in a duel. She can be a little tough on lower-level characters as she will use a Nordic Sword in combat. Players should be well-prepared as she could take them out in one hit.

Once defeated, players can find the key to Hendraheim on her corpse. This will complete the quest and the house will belong to them.

13 Bloodchill Manor In Bloodchill Cavern (Winterhold)

Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V 5 Anniversary Edition house home Bloodchill Manor In Bloodchill Cavern (Winterhold)

The perfect home for players who want a vampiric theme. The “Guests for Dinner” quest will be received upon reaching level 12. Head to Bloodchill Cavern and a number of guests will be waiting outside the front door along with a vampire waiter and bard. Players will have to tell the waiter they’d like to be seated and read the note in front of them at the table.

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From here, it depends on if the player is a vampire or not. It is strongly advised to not be at a low level and have better than beginner equipment because the enemies can be very tough to beat. After the enemies are defeated, talk to the survivor (either the waiter or Durian) and they will formally agree that the house belongs to the player.

12 Tundra Homestead (Whiterun Hold)

Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V 5 Anniversary Edition house home Tundra Homestead (Whiterun Hold)

This home is a great purchase that’s even better than Breezehome. Next to Whiterun, players will have to walk up to this house and read the note nailed to the door. The note will direct them to Proventus Avenicci in Dragonsreach. Players will have to spend 7,500 gold to buy the house, but it’s worth it compared to Breezehome.

After paying up, Avenicci will give them the key and the house belongs to them. No upgrades or anything needs to be added so players won’t have to worry about spending any more gold.

11 Shadowfoot Sanctum (Riften)

Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V 5 Anniversary Edition house home Shadowfoot Sanctum (Riften)

If players are looking for a luxurious hideout-type of home, this one might be it. Talk to Vekel the Man in The Ragged Flagon and ask him about buying a home. He’ll tell them that there’s one for sale in the Ratway for 7,500. After paying him the gold, he’ll hand over the key and the players will have a new luxury home. No upgrades are needed for it.

10 The College Of Winterhold (Winterhold)

Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V 5 Anniversary Edition house home The College Of Winterhold (Winterhold)

Players will have two areas they can rest at in Winterhold for free. After joining the College and completing the first lesson, players will be shown their room in the Hall of Attainment. The room will be next to other fellow apprentices and some experts like Enthir, who is a fence for the Thieves Guild and sells some rare items.

After completing the main quest for the College of Winterhold, players will be able to sleep in the Arch-Mage’s Quarters. But the option to sleep in their room in the Hall of Attainment will still be available.

9 Breezehome (Whiterun)

Breezehome is one of the first houses Skyrim players can obtain. After completing the "Bleak Falls Barrow" quest, Jarl Balgruuf will allow the player to purchase property in Whiterun. Speak to Proventus Avenicci in Dragonsreach to purchase Breezehome for 5,000 Gold. Should the Stormcloaks take over Whiterun, players can speak to Brill instead to purchase the house.

Upgrades can also be purchased for the house to include more storage containers, a cooking pot, as well as an alchemy lab. Note that none of these upgrades will grant an enchanting table, the only house in Skyrim to not have one available. Purchasing all upgrades will cost 1,800 Gold. As long as players stick to the main story and loot everyone they kill, this should be one of the easiest houses to earn in the game.

8 Heljarchen Hall (The Pale)

To purchase Heljarchen Hall's land, players will need to first complete a few quests for Dawnstar. Both "Waking Nightmares" and "Kill the Giant" must be completed before Skald the Elder will offer it to the player. If the Imperials have taken Dawnstar, speak to Brina Merilis instead to obtain Heljarchen Hall. Purchasing the plot of land costs 5,000 Gold.

Since this is a house from the Hearthfire DLC, the hall won't be built right away. Players must obtain resources from nearby and on their adventures to craft the house, the benefit being players can choose which wings get installed and how to furnish the place. Since "Kill the Giant" is needed for Skald to sell this to the player, this house is locked behind the level 21 requirement that the quest demands.

7 Hjerim (Windhelm)

Skyrim Hjerim Home in Windhelm

Hjerim is one of Skyrim's more involved houses to unlock. Before players can live here, they will need to either complete "The Battle for Fort Sungard" for the Stormcloaks or complete the Imperial Legion's Civil War questline to obtain this house. Upgrades for this house are locked behind the completion of the "Blood on the Ice" quest.

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Costs for this house vary based on how much Gold the player has. The cheapest it can be bought for is 8,000 Gold but never costs more than 12,000 Gold. Strangely, upgrades don't have this property and are sold at a fixed rate. Upgrading Hjerim fully costs 10,250 Gold.

6 Honeyside (Riften)

Via: Pintrest.com

Honeyside is only available to players who are in pursuit of becoming Thane of Riften. Players must show their worth by helping the citizens of Riften before the Jarl will allow the player to purchase Honeyside. In gameplay terms, players need to complete the "Skooma Trade" quest Wujeeta gives near the Riften Fishery and help five Riften NPCs. These can be in the form of radiant quests or donating to the poor.

When all of these steps are complete, the Jarl will allow the player to purchase Honeyside. Talk to Anuriel, or Hemming Black-Briar if the Empire controls the city, to buy the property. As with Windhelm, it can be purchased as cheap as 5,000 Gold but scales to 8,000 Gold based on how much money the player has. Obtaining every upgrade costs 4,300 Gold in total if the player doesn't install a children's bedroom. Otherwise, it costs 3,550 Gold since the room prevents the enchanting lab from being installed.

5 Lakeview Manor (Falkreath Hold)

Via: Elder Scrolls Wiki - Fandom

Lakeview Manor is a rather easy house to obtain. Since it is a player-made house, the land surrounding it needs to be purchased first. Jarl Siddgeir will sell the land to the player provided they are a Thane of Falkreath. Becoming Thane will require players to give him Black-Briar Mead, kill a bandit leader at a random nearby location, and help 3 Falkreath NPCs.

After that list of objectives has been complete, players can talk to either Nenya or Stormcloak replacement Tekla to purchase the land for 5,000 Gold. As with all Hearthfire houses, players must harvest materials and purchase resources to build the house. The payoff is a breathtaking view of the surrounding region.

4 Proudspire Manor (Solitude)

Via: Skyrim Wiki - Gamepedia

Depending on how wealthy the player is, Proudspire Manor is either one of the easiest or hardest houses to obtain. Unlocking the ability to purchase it is easy, as players only need to complete "The Man Who Cried Wolf" and "Elisif's Tribute" quests for the option to appear. The catch is that the house costs a flat, non-negotiable 25,000 Gold.

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Upgrades don't fare much better, costing 11,000 Gold to obtain all of them. Needless to say, this will require quite a bit of grinding or bartering to achieve. Sell gems and jewelry for large sums of cash. Crafting potions and weapons and then selling them is also a good strategy for making Gold quickly.

3 Severin Manor (Raven Rock)

Via: Elder Scrolls Wiki - Fandom

Unlike every house in Skyrim, Severin Manor is completely free. The catch is that players must complete "Served Cold," a quest that is tied behind "March of the Dead" and "The Final Descent" quests in Solstheim. The quests are mostly straightforward, requiring players to help members of Raven Rock. This house has no purchasable upgrades.

2 Vlindrel Hall (Markarth)

Via: Skyrim Wiki - Gamepedia

Unlocking Vlindrel Hall in Markarth can be rather confusing. Players have one of three ways to obtain it: they can complete two requests for Jarl Igmund— three if they want a housecarl— complete the "Liberation of Skyrim" quest, or favor Markarth during the "Season Unending" negotiations. Any of these three will allow Raerek to sell the property for 8,000 Gold. Upgrades cost 4,100 Gold in total.

1 Windstad Manor (Hjaalmarch)

Via: Elder Scrolls Wiki - Fandom

Morthal's "Laid to Rest" quest is the only prerequisite to purchasing Windstad Manor. After completing this rather short quest, talk to either Aslfur or Pactur to purchase the land for 5,000 Gold. Players will still need to use their own resources to build the property, however.

elder scrolls 5 skyrim cover
Skyrim

Platform(s)
PC , PS3 , Xbox 360 , Xbox One , Xbox One X , Xbox Series S , PS4 , PS5 , Switch
Released
November 11, 2011
Developer(s)
Bethesda
Genre(s)
RPG , Action , Adventure