The best house to buy in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is the Cheydinhal house if you want the most storage for the money, Rosethorn Hall in Skingrad if money is no object, and you may not need to buy one at all, because the remaster bundles Battlehorn Castle and Frostcrag Spire into every copy for free. This guide ranks all eight city homes with base prices, sellers and upgrade costs, then covers the free homes and which to pick first, verified against official patch notes.
How buying a house works
Every major city except Kvatch has one house for sale. You buy it from the count, countess or a castle steward, usually once their disposition toward you is high enough, then buy furnishing upgrades as paper deeds from a named shopkeeper in the same city. Prices below are base costs from the community-run UESP wiki; your Mercantile skill and the seller’s disposition push the real price up, so read our guide on how to sell items first. Once bought, no NPC enters or steals from the house and every container inside is safe storage that never respawns.
You can fast travel from inside every purchased house except Benirus Manor; see our guide on how to fast travel.
Every city house, ranked
- Cheydinhal House, 15,000 gold. Sold by Count Andel Indarys (disposition 60 or higher); upgrades from Borba gra-Uzgash, about 15,000 gold. Thirteen containers sit together on the second floor, so unloading a dungeon run takes seconds. Large, in good condition and half the price of the Skingrad manor.
- Rosethorn Hall, Skingrad, 25,000 gold. Sold by Shum gro-Yarug (disposition 70 or higher and Fame 15 or higher); upgrades from Gunder, about 23,200 gold. The grandest home in the game, with a hireable housekeeper once you buy the Servants Quarters, but close to 50,000 gold fully furnished.
- Arborwatch, Chorrol, 20,000 gold. Sold by Countess Arriana Valga (disposition 70 or higher, Fame 12 or higher); upgrades from Seed-Neeus, about 19,400 gold. A stately three-floor home next to the Mages Guild hall.
- Bruma House, 10,000 gold. Sold by Countess Narina Carvain (disposition 60 or higher); upgrades from Suurootan at Novaroma, about 9,900 gold. Cozy, right inside the east gate, and across from the tavern where the Thieves Guild fence Ongar drinks.
- Benirus Manor, Anvil, 5,000 gold. Sold by Velwyn Benirus at the Count’s Arms. It is derelict and haunted until you finish Where Spirits Have Lease, which restores the whole house at no further cost. Do not store anything before that quest ends, because the renovation wipes the containers.
- Leyawiin House, 7,000 gold. Sold by Count Marius Caro (disposition 60 or higher); upgrades from Gundalas, about 7,000 gold. Barely bigger than the Bravil house and 3,000 gold more.
- Bravil House, 4,000 gold. Sold by Count Regulus Terentius (disposition 50 or higher); upgrades from Nilawen at The Fair Deal, about 3,900 gold. Small, but the fence Luciana Galena lives upstairs; our guide on how to join the Thieves Guild explains how to unlock her.
- Shack for Sale, Imperial City Waterfront, 2,000 gold. Sold by Vinicia Melissaeia at the Office of Imperial Commerce; upgrades from Sergius Verus at Three Brothers Trade Goods, about 2,000 gold. No containers until you buy the storage upgrade, and the crate outside is not safe. The Nintendo Switch 2 day-one patch fixed small items falling through the ground beside it.
The free homes included in every copy
Bethesda’s official page confirms that Fighter’s Stronghold, Wizard’s Tower, Vile Lair and Thieves Den ship in the standard edition. Per UESP their quests no longer start automatically when you leave the sewers; you trigger each one by visiting the location.
- Battlehorn Castle (Fighter’s Stronghold). West of Chorrol. Kill the four marauders besieging it and the late Lord Kelvyn’s will hands you the castle. Upgrades come from Nilphas Omellian at the Merchants Inn in the Imperial City, about 15,000 gold in total.
- Frostcrag Spire (Wizard’s Tower). East of Bruma at the end of an unmarked road. UESP documents a remaster change: you no longer receive the key automatically. It sits in a chest at the nearby Mountain View Camp, or you can pick the door’s Average lock. Upgrades from Aurelinwae at the Mystic Emporium total about 8,500 gold. Even unfurnished it has portals to every Mages Guild hall plus spellmaking and enchanting altars, so you can craft without a single recommendation; our guide on how to join the Mages Guild explains the alternative. Update 1.1 fixed a crash when storing items in a Frostcrag chest.
- Deepscorn Hollow (Vile Lair). Southeast of Leyawiin. Upgrades from Rowley Eardwulf, about 15,250 gold. Built for vampires, with a font that cures vampirism.
- Dunbarrow Cove (Thieves Den). South of Anvil. Clear the pirates and buy the upgrades from Dahlia Rackham, about 5,500 gold, for a fence and trainers that work without Thieves Guild membership.
Which house to buy first
If you are early and short on gold, skip the shack and walk to Battlehorn Castle or Frostcrag Spire, because both are free and both beat every city house for storage. The first house worth real money is Cheydinhal at 15,000 gold. Buy Rosethorn Hall when gold stops mattering. Our guide on how to drop items covers clearing weight before you get home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many houses can I own in Oblivion? All of them. There is no limit, and the eight city houses are the ones that count toward the “Houses Owned” statistic.
Is there a house in Kvatch? No. Kvatch is the only major city with nothing for sale.
Do I need the Deluxe Edition for Battlehorn Castle or Frostcrag Spire? No. Bethesda’s edition breakdown lists Fighter’s Stronghold and Wizard’s Tower in the standard edition. The Deluxe Edition adds armor and weapon quests, not homes.
Where are the rest of the Oblivion guides? Every guide we have for the game is collected on the Elder Scrolls hub.