From Dragonborn to Landowner: A Comprehensive Guide to Buying Property in Skyrim

Ah, Skyrim. A land of dragons, dungeons, and… property ownership? Yes, that’s right! Beyond the epic quests and thrilling combat, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim offers the chance to establish yourself as a true landowner, building your own homestead from the ground up. This guide will walk you through the intricacies of purchasing land and constructing your dream home in the rugged north. Whether you’re a seasoned Dragonborn or a fresh-faced adventurer, this comprehensive guide will help you navigate the path to becoming a proud property owner.

Why Buy Land in Skyrim?

Before we delve into the specifics, let’s explore why you might want to invest in a piece of Skyrim real estate. There are several compelling reasons:

• Customization: Unlike the pre-built houses available in cities, land allows you to create a dwelling tailored to your needs and aesthetic preferences. You choose the building materials, the additions, and the layout.
• Storage: A persistent issue for any loot-hungry Dragonborn is storage space. A homestead provides ample room to store your hard-earned treasures, weapons, and armor without the worry of them disappearing.
• Roleplaying: Owning land adds a significant layer of immersion and roleplaying to the game. It gives you a home base, a place to retreat after your adventures, and a tangible representation of your character’s growing wealth and status.
• Family Life: If you’ve chosen to marry an NPC, a homestead provides a more permanent and personalized home for your spouse and adopted children. It’s a family-friendly alternative to city living.
• Resource Generation: Certain land plots come with features like a stable, allowing you to own horses, and even gardens where you can cultivate ingredients for alchemy.
• Achievements: For the completionist, purchasing land and building a house is part of several achievements tied to the Hearthfire DLC.

Prerequisites: What You Need Before You Buy

Before you can purchase land, there are a few crucial requirements that you must meet. These requirements are primarily tied to the Hearthfire DLC, which is essential for land ownership. If you don’t own this DLC you will not be able to buy any property. Here’s what you need to get started:

• The Hearthfire DLC: This is the most important requirement. You absolutely need to have the Hearthfire DLC installed to unlock the ability to buy land and build your own home.
• Become a Thane: You will need to become a Thane of the hold that contains the property you wish to buy. This involves completing certain quests and tasks for the Jarl of the hold. Specific quests vary based on the specific Hold.
• Enough Gold: Each plot of land costs 5,000 gold. Make sure you have saved up enough funds to make your purchase.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Buy Land in Skyrim

Now that you know the prerequisites, let’s get into the detailed, step-by-step process of buying land. We’ll cover each hold separately because the process is similar, but the specific quests and Jarls you’ll interact with will differ.

1. Falkreath Hold (Lakeview Manor)

Lakeview Manor is a popular choice, particularly for its proximity to both the forest and the lake. It is located to the south of Falkreath.

1. Travel to Falkreath: Head to the city of Falkreath, located in the southwest corner of Skyrim.
2. Speak with the Jarl: Find Jarl Siddgeir or Dengeir of Stuhn (if you have sided with the Stormcloaks in the civil war), who will be in the Jarl’s Longhouse.
3. Complete the Jarl’s Quests: Jarl Siddgeir will initially ask you to complete certain tasks, which typically involve killing bandits or dealing with local issues. Jarl Dengeir will have you help out the town with more menial tasks such as bringing them specific types of items. Once these tasks are done you will have to complete the quest “Kill the Bandit Leader.”
4. Become Thane of Falkreath: After completing these quests, the Jarl will declare you a Thane of Falkreath.
5. Purchase Lakeview Manor: You can now speak with Nenya, the Jarl’s Steward, who can sell you the plot of land for 5,000 gold. The land will be called “Lakeview Manor” and will be marked on your map.

2. The Pale (Windstad Manor)

Windstad Manor is located to the west of Dawnstar, in a snowy, rugged landscape. It features a fish hatchery.

1. Travel to Dawnstar: Make your way to Dawnstar, a coastal town in the north of Skyrim.
2. Speak with the Jarl: Find Jarl Skald or Brina Merilis (If you’ve sided with the Stormcloaks), who will be in the Jarl’s Longhouse.
3. Complete the Jarl’s Quests: Jarl Skald will have you complete minor quests for the town. Once you have completed the Jarl’s requested quest, you will have to complete “Waking Nightmare” to help the town with their nightmares. Brina Merilis on the other hand will have you do basic tasks around town and then “Kill the Bandit Leader.”
4. Become Thane of The Pale: After completing these quests, the Jarl will declare you a Thane of the Pale.
5. Purchase Windstad Manor: You can now speak with Bulfrok, the Jarl’s Steward, who can sell you the plot of land for 5,000 gold. The land will be called “Windstad Manor” and will be marked on your map.

3. Hjaalmarch (Heljarchen Hall)

Heljarchen Hall sits in a relatively flat landscape near the center of Hjaalmarch near the small town of Loreius. The area is great for farming and has a beautiful view.

1. Travel to Morthal: Go to the city of Morthal, located in the swampy region of Hjaalmarch, west of Dawnstar.
2. Speak with the Jarl: Find Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone or Sorli the Builder (If you have sided with the Stormcloaks), who will be in the Jarl’s Longhouse.
3. Complete the Jarl’s Quests: Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone will require you to complete the quest “Laid to Rest”, and help clear out some caves. Sorli the builder will require you to help the town by doing various tasks and then “Kill the Bandit Leader.”
4. Become Thane of Hjaalmarch: After completing these quests, the Jarl will declare you a Thane of Hjaalmarch.
5. Purchase Heljarchen Hall: You can now speak with Aslfur, the Jarl’s Steward, who can sell you the plot of land for 5,000 gold. The land will be called “Heljarchen Hall” and will be marked on your map.

Building Your Home: A Step-by-Step Guide

Once you’ve purchased your land, the real fun begins! You’ll start with a small blueprint and a crafting table. Let’s go through the construction process.

1. The Drafting Table

The first thing you’ll see when you arrive at your land is a small crafting table called a “Drafting Table”. This is where you will start planning out what buildings you will be adding to your property. Interacting with the table will allow you to create various schematics and blueprints for the buildings on your property.

2. Building the Small House

The first thing you’ll need to build is a small house, which will act as a base for all future additions. You can start building it by clicking the “Small House” blueprint on your drafting table. To build the small house you will require the following materials:

• Sawn Logs: You’ll get these from a sawmill. You can also pay for them from the steward.
• Clay: You can find clay deposits throughout Skyrim, often near bodies of water.
• Quarried Stone: This is gathered from stone deposits using a pickaxe. You can find them near your property or in dungeons.
• Iron Ingots: You will need iron ore and a smelter to craft iron ingots.

Once you have gathered all of the items simply interact with the Carpenter’s Workbench next to the drafting table and build the small house foundation, exterior walls and then the roof.

3. Adding Wings and Furnishings

Once the foundation has been laid, you can add wings to your house. There are three wings to choose from, each with a different set of options, offering many different layouts to choose from. You can also add furnishings such as a bed, storage units, and other decor. Additional components will require items such as:

• Corundum Ingots: You will need corundum ore and a smelter to craft corundum ingots.
• Glass: You will need raw glass and a smelter to craft glass.
• Hinges: You will need iron ingots and a forge to craft hinges.
• Nails: You will need iron ingots and a forge to craft nails.
• Goats Horns: These can be acquired from goats.
• Straw: Can be found in certain locations

The wings you can choose from are:

• The Main Hall: This wing is used to create a large central room. This is needed to build the other wings of your home. You can customize the main room to have more storage and other furniture.
• The East Wing: This wing will allow you to build a bedroom, storage room or an enchanter’s tower.
• The North Wing: This wing will allow you to create a library, trophy room or a alchemy lab.
• The West Wing: This wing will allow you to create a greenhouse, kitchen or an armory.

4. Hiring a Steward

To help manage your estate you can hire a Steward. They will help you furnish your home, buy materials, hire a personal bard and even protect your property from bandits. You can choose from most of the NPCs that can become a follower. To do so you will need to bring them to your property and ask them to become your Steward. Keep in mind that you can only have one Steward.

5. Customization

The beauty of your homestead is that you can customize it to your heart’s content. You can add:

• Gardens, which allow you to grow alchemy ingredients.
• A stable, where you can keep your horses.
• An apiary, where you can collect honey.
• A fish hatchery, to breed fish in the windstad manor property.
• And much more!

Tips for Efficient Home Building

Building a home can be a time-consuming process. Here are a few tips to help you build efficiently:

• Save Your Progress: Regularly save your game, especially before starting major construction.
• Gather Materials in Advance: Don’t wait until you’re ready to build. Collect materials as you explore, you never know when you might find some clay on your adventures.
• Use a Mill or Buy Sawn Logs: Instead of relying solely on your own labor, buy sawn logs or use the sawmills near the towns to save time.
• Enchant Gear: Enchant your gear to have better carry weight and improve your mining abilities to make it easier to gather the required materials.
• Use a Follower: Use a follower to carry your materials, which can greatly reduce travel times.
• Take Breaks: Building can be a tedious process so take breaks between sessions to prevent burn out.

Land Ownership Benefits

Owning land in Skyrim comes with numerous benefits that go beyond just having a place to call home:

• Storage for Resources: Store all your loot and collectibles in one secure place.
• Family Comfort: Your family will be happier and more at home in your custom-built manor.
• Alchemy and Crafting: Having access to your own crafting stations makes creating potions, enchantments and armor easier.
• Roleplaying Immersion: Owning land really enhances the roleplaying aspect of the game, it helps you to connect with the world of Skyrim and gives you a home within it.
• Personalized Customization: You control what your property looks like and how it functions.
• Achievements: Certain achievements require the construction of houses and manors, allowing for completionists to aim for these in their playthrough.

Potential Issues and How to Solve Them

While the process of buying land is straightforward, you might encounter some challenges. Here’s how to deal with them:

• Bugs and Glitches: Some players report glitches when placing furniture or during construction. Saving and reloading can often resolve these issues. Make sure you are up to date on patches to avoid common problems.
• Lack of Materials: If you find yourself short on a particular resource, travel to different regions of Skyrim or trade with merchants. Remember to check for iron ore deposits near bandit camps and dungeons.
• Thane Quests: Certain Thane quests can be tricky to find or complete, consult the elder scrolls wiki or other online resources for help if necessary.
• Steward Bugs: If your steward bugs out and does not do what they are supposed to, try reloading a previous save or firing and re-hiring them.

Final Thoughts

Buying land in Skyrim and building your own homestead is a rewarding experience. It adds a new dimension to the game, allowing you to put down roots in the harsh yet beautiful landscape. Follow this guide and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a prosperous landowner. From selecting the perfect plot to furnishing every room, building your own home in Skyrim is a satisfying journey that truly makes you feel like a part of the world. So go forth, Dragonborn, and claim your piece of Skyrim! Happy building!