Not even ten minutes out of the sewers and you're already over-encumbered and ready for a nap in Oblivion Remastered. Understandably so, lugging around a whole military's worth of swords and musty old shoes grows tiresome quick. So why not buy your own Oblivion house and stop giving the local inn all your gold?
Player houses in Oblivion Remastered offer more than just a place to pass the time in bed. They're also great for unloading overburdened inventories, with some houses offering multiple chests, cupboards, and crates to store and organize goodies. But before you go buying a place sight unseen, let's do a little in-universe Oblivion home inspection.
How to get a house in Oblivion Remastered
Oblivion Remastered offers 12 places for the Hero to retire, most of which require a fee for the house itself, then additional costs for upgrades. Fortunately, the Remaster adds all four DLC houses, which were free in the original and remain that way in the new package.
The typical house purchase looks something like: find the seller, improve your relationship, then buy the property. Entering the home with the key unlocks another series of quests directing you to upgrades, usually adding more storage and the occasional extra feature. Some add-ons are purely for aesthetic purposes, but they sure get cozy.
How to get Oblivion house upgrades
To upgrade most houses in Oblivion Remastered, you'll have to unlock and track down the specific NPC selling additions to your new place. They've usually got at least a few, and buying every upgrade completes the associated quest.
Benirus Manor is the only place that comes fully furnished, but even then, it feels a bit male living spaces when compared to some features in other homes (plus it's haunted). Since there's no guarantee you'll get house upgrades at their cheapest, the prices below are based on my own adventures in haggling. You may wind up paying more or less depending on your Speechcraft and Mercantile skills.
The best houses in Oblivion Remastered
Every house provides the bare minimum: a place to rest and unload messy inventories. If that's all you want, then buy the shack in Imperial City and call it a day. If you want a recommendation, consider one of these two:
The Cheydinhal house
Cost: 15,000
Seller: Count Andel Indarys
✅ Requires 60 disposition
Upgrades: Borba gra-Uzgash
Upgrade Cost: 23,900
It's a little expensive, but with no fame requirements and an easy-to-hit disposition goal, Oblivion's house in Cheydinhal is a great pick. There are only two floors, but this one lacks the cumbersome loading screens between rooms and comes with tons of storage on the second floor. The little corner of barrels and crates is perfect for folks like me who want to divide inventory storage up in nice, neat categories instead of a messy pile in a single chest.
To score the key, simply head to Castle Cheydinhal, speak to Count Indarys, and buy the house after hitting 60 disposition. It's in the southwestern corner of the city, near Willow Bank. Borba gra-Uzgash sells 10 upgrades at Borba's Goods and Stores a bit further north, closer to the West Gate.
Rosethorn Hall in Skingrad
Cost: 25,000
Seller: Shum gro-Yarug
✅ Requires 70 disposition and 15 fame
Upgrades: Gunder
Upgrade Cost: 30,200
Rosethorn Hall tends to be a fan-favorite, and it better be for the price. It requires a little more work, too, as it's one of the few houses you'll need to build fame to buy. If you're willing to grind it out, Rosethorn Hall offers an impressively long list of upgrades, and the Servants Quarters renovation even adds a housekeeper. The Bedroom Area upgrade also gives access to the Long Forgotten Note on top of a crate upstairs, starting the Rosethorn Cache sidequest.
To buy the house in Skingrad, enter the castle and find Shum gro-Yarud. He wanders quite a bit, but I caught him just after 9 am in the main hall. Just down the street to the west, Gunder at Colovian Traders offers 15 upgrades.
Free houses in Oblivion Remastered
Oblivion Remastered comes with four free houses, all of which were DLC add-ons in the original release. Some are bigger challenges than others early on, but Frostcrag is pretty easy to reach if you're looking for a free house to get in Oblivion Remastered after leaving the sewers.
Battlehorn Castle
Cost: Free
Upgrades: Nilphas Omellian
Upgrade Cost: 20,350
Battlehorn Castle is just to the west of Chorrol. Simply defend the fortress from an onslaught of marauders and it's yours. Upgrades are available back in the Imperial City's Market District by speaking to Nilphas at the Merchant's Inn.
He offers a long list of upgrades, handing over a document detailing eight possible additions. After grabbing them all, head back to Battlehorn for a note on how to unlock the Dwemer Forge—Nilphas will sell it to you as the ninth and final upgrade.
Deepscorn Hollow
Cost: Free
Upgrades: Rowley Eardwulf
Upgrade Cost: 21,000
Head south of Leyawiin to begin the Deepscorn Hollow questline. The entrance is underwater inside a broken log surrounded by castle ruins. Once inside, read Greywyn's Journal, then backtrack to Wawnet's Inn on the western edge of the Imperial City.
This is where Rowley hangs out, but he only opens up his shop in specific windows, and his schedule is a little annoying. It seems easiest to catch his business hours just after midnight when he's sitting on the second floor near the fireplace. If you've found him at the right time, Rowley offers eight Deepscorn Hollow upgrades. (The Ichor of Sithis counts).
Dunbarrow Cove
Cost: Free
Upgrades: Dahlia Rackham
Upgrade Cost: 5,500
Look for Dunbarrow Cove just to the South of Anvil. Beginning the quest takes you under the castle and into the Smuggler's Cave, where a crew of old skeletons await. Defeat the horde of undead pirates to claim the cove as yours.
For Dunbarrow Cove upgrades, look for Dahlia on the Sea Tub Clarabella docked in the Anvil harbor. You won't do the usual bartering with her, so just select Dunbarrow Cove Upgrades after striking up a conversation and buy the six expansions.
Frostcrag Spire
Cost: Free
Upgrades: Aurelinwae
Upgrade Cost: 11,500
Frostcrag's Spire sits just to the east of Bruma. Approach the snowy tower to begin the questline, then head inside and read the Frostcrag Spire Memoirs for details on upgrades available in the Imperial City. Again, hit up the Market District, but this time visit the Magic Emporium to pick up four upgrades for the enchanted new digs.
More houses in Oblivion Remastered
The Waterfront shack in Imperial City
Cost: 2,000
Seller: Vinicia Melissaeia
Upgrades: Sergius Verus
Upgrades: 2,750
Your first Oblivion house will most likely be the shack in Imperial City. In the Market District, head to the Office of Imperial Commerce and speak to Vinicia. You'll need 50 disposition to get her to sell it, so if she's not quite there, try bribing her or playing the persuasion minigame.
The Waterfront shack only has a bed to start with, so upgrade it by heading back to Imperial City's Market District and speak to Sergius Verus in Three Brothers Trade Goods. He sells five house upgrades, but just go for the House Storage Area if you're strapped for gold and need a place to unload junk.
The Bravil house
Cost: 4,000
Seller: Count Regulus Terentius
Upgrades: Nilawen
Upgrade Cost: 5,750
Count Regulus in Bravil Castle sells this place for a couple of thousand more than the starter shack in Imperial City. This one isn't really worth the hassle, but if you want to upgrade the crummy old fort, speak to Nilawen at The Fair Deal to buy six more renovations.
Benirus Manor in Anvil
Cost: 5,000
Seller: Velwyn Benirus
Upgrades: Fully upgraded upon completing Where the Spirits Have Lease
Upgrade Cost: Free
Head to Anvil's Inn, The Count's Arms, and speak to Velwyn Benirus to buy Benirus Manor. He spins it as quite the deal, but turns out the place is haunted, so take a quick nap to trigger Where Spirits Have Lease. It's not a very long chain, so it's worth the detour for free house upgrades.
The Leyawiin house
Cost: 7,000
Seller: Count Marius Caro
✅ Requires 60 disposition
Upgrades: Gundalas
Upgrade Cost:
Count Caro in Castle Leyawiin sells a home right in the middle of town, just across the street from Weebam-Na's place and next door to Rosentia Gallenus—hers is the much bigger, fancier, hard-to-miss house. Down the street to the north, Gundalas offers seven upgrades at Best Goods and Guarantees.
The Bruma house
Cost: 10,000
Seller: Countess Narina Carvain
✅ Requires 60 disposition
Upgrades: Suurootan
Upgrade Cost: 14,535
Upon arriving in Bruma, find Countess Carvain in the castle to buy the place just across from the city's Fighters Guild. You'll find upgrades up the stairs, closer to Castle Bruma at Novaroma. Speak to Surootan, he's got nine upgrades for sale.
Arborwatch in Chorrol
Cost: 20,000
Seller: Countess Arriana Valga
✅ Requires 70 disposition and 12 fame
Upgrades: Seed-Neeus
Upgrade Cost: 36,000
The Countess is willing to sell you the house in Chorrol, but she's one of the harder landlords to please with a disposition and fame requirement. The 12 fame part wasn't so bad, but I couldn't get her disposition to 70 until I completed her Canvas the Castle sidequest.
After getting the keys, find Arborwatch in the town square built around the giant tree. It's another home tailored to those looking for luxury, with 11 upgrades available from Seed-Neeus at Northern Goods and Trades.
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