Houses (Skyrim)

Houses in Skyrim are buildings in which the player may sleep and safely store items in non-respawning containers. Each major city (except for any unwalled Hold Capitol, like Falkreath and Morthal) has a house, of varying size, quality and cost, available for the player to purchase. There is no limit to how many homes the player may own, only a limit on how many houses are available. If you get married, you may allow your spouse to live with you at one of your home(s).

As with any unowned bed, sleeping in a bed in your house provides a temporary (eight-hour) bonus to your experience rate (for every skill), known as the rested effect. However, if the player has Lycanthropy, it is impossible to gain this bonus. You can only purchase homes in Skyrim with the approval of the Jarl of that location.

This video shows the benefits of a home (Hjerim; Windhelm) and a general idea of what they are like inside.

Note: Unlike in Oblivion, you cannot fast travel from inside your house in Skyrim.

(*) You cannot live with your husband/wife here.

† House may still be purchased so long as player has smaller gold amount on hand.

''The prices listed above are the initial costs for each house. Some may have upgrades available for purchase that, while not necessary, will cause the houses to cost more. Should one desire to purchase everything that is available, this is an important note.''

Achievements
Buying a house allows you to unlock one :
 * Citizen -- Buy a house
 * Note: None of the "free" houses give you the Citizen achievement because they are not bought.

Bugs

 * An exploit can be used to acquire a house without losing gold; requires possession of the amount of septims needed to buy the house. Immediately after telling the Steward, I'll take it!, exit the conversation before he finishes talking, store all your gold in any nearby chest, and the money will not be taken but you will still receive the key and trigger the ownership flag on the house. Can be used, for example to acquire Proudspire Manor (and subsequently any other house you can work this exploit on).
 * Using the above exploit may cause weapon racks to become unusable (from own experience, tested and confirmed it by loading a previous save and buying the home legit, all racks worked {Tested on Breezehome, other houses, and platforms will require further confirmation} this might also be the cause of other home related bugs {needs confirmation}). (PS3 tested on Vlindrel Hall, Markarth. All unusable but present.)
 * Placing items anywhere in a your house freely (ex. tables, dressers, etc.) will often result in the items ending up on the floor nearby upon re-entering the house. (Not including weapon racks, wall mounts, bookshelves, which are placed by activation.) Bumping or otherwise moving items which were already placed in the house can also result in them being "unpinned" and free to be strewn about the house. In some cases, re-entering a house will result in a large number of items falling through tables, flying off shelves and otherwise making a huge mess (especially in the Whiterun house), making this a nightmare for players demanding neatness in their home. The housecarl, unfortunately, does not include cleaning in their list of duties to their Thane.
 * Players have had a hard time buying the house in Windhelm due to bugs in one of the quests you have to do in order to get the house. The quest in question is "Blood on the Ice," necessary to have the option to purchase the home. To start the quest you will have to go to the graveyard in windhelm after having come to the city at least four times. There should be a guard who you must talk to and observers at a murder scene. However, the event may not trigger, and there may be no one there (needs confirmation). Additionally, there is a bug with an NPC (non-essential) necessary for the quest in which this NPC, Viola Giordano, appears on top of the Candlehearth Hall building in Windhelm and subsequently disappears from the game world, breaking the quest (experienced on xbox). This NPC's death by any cause (even, possibly, by dragon attack) will break the quest, as well. Also, bloodstains on the floor at the house's entrance and a necromancer's shrine may remain in the house (needs confirmation [after upgrades?]).
 * In the Windhelm, Markarth, and Riften houses, it is possible for the mannequins to glitch so that even when the armor is taken off the mannquein, once the player re-enters the house, the armor has been duplicated and is still on the mannequin. This glitch can be used as a money maker, as you can then sell the extra armor every time it spawns.
 * It is possible to lose the option to purchase Vlindrel Hall in Markarth. If the option to purchase appears when speaking to the Jarl or Raerek and it is not selected immediately in some cases it will no longer show as a dialogue option.
 * Sanguine Rose and Wabbajack, when put in the weapon racks, will be stored upside down. The Axe of Whiterun, when put in weapon racks, will be stored perpendicular to the wall.
 * If books are placed on a bookshelf in your home then read and taken you will be unable to activate the bookshelf again. Seemingly the only solution is loading a previous autosave.
 * Although Hjerim is listed at 12000, a bug will cause only the gold you have on your person to be paid for the house. For instance, if you only have 8000 on your person, you will only be charged 8000  (clarify). So it might be a good idea to store your gold somewhere safe (i.e. any currently owned homes in a non-respawning container, so your gold will not disappear) and only sacrifice a small sum, so you get the home for as low a price as possible.
 * Mannequins, weapon racks, weapon plaques, and display cases may bug in differing ways. Mannequins may not show pieces of armor. Racks, plaques, and display cases may all lose their ability to be activated. One known solution is to punch the bugged piece of furniture until the option to 'activate' reappears. This may only be a temporary fix.
 * As with other Holds, sometimes the chain for acquiring Proudspire Manor will break for various, poorly understood programming reasons. For example, Jarl Elisif will tell the player she is considering making them a Thane of Solitude, on the condition that the player own a house in Solitude first. In some cases, if the player buys the house immediately after being told to, Jarl Elisif then will not acknowledge you as a Thane, also preventing you from being given the associated ceremonial enchanted weapon and housecarl (needs clarification - another condition is "assist 5 citizens"). In some cases, this can be avoided by talking to the Jarl again immediatley after she tells you to buy a house, and choosing the new conversation choice "Is there anything else I can do for you, Jarl?" Once this is done, then buying the house may not break the quest chain. (clarification)
 * After buying a house be careful not to place anything in the standard storage if you plan on upgrading at a later time, there is a chance that when you upgrade the items will be lost when the furniture is changed. (not necessarily a bug, but perhaps poor planning)
 * On the ps3 there is a bug that sometimes causes you to lose all of you stored possessions in the mage apprentice quarters in Winterhold after you acquire the arch mages quarters. (needs confirmation)
 * If you talk to someone and enter your house before they finish talking, they will end up standing next to you inside your house, then after a few seconds walk out the door like nothing happened. Confirmed in Breezehome and Honeyside on the XBOX 360/PS3. Actually, entering/exiting any places while someone is talking to you will have the same bug (this may not really be a bug, if you consider that space continuous)
 * Sometimes when you buy a house, the items inside will not be in your ownership, so every item will have the "steal" option instead of "take," and taking them will be considered stealing by onlookers. Video
 * Beware placing items in barrels or dressers and the like in the Winterhold college dormitory as they may dissappear forever upon return (they may be "respawning containers").