I think this is true, it's not YOUR house, but it is a safe place to stay and they let you use anything there, dunno if the containers respawn there though.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in Oblivion didn't you have to attain some level of fame to even buy the waterside shack in Imperial city? I remember the option to buy the shack is not immediately available anyway.

I managed to find safe drawers and barrels to store my things in before buying a house. I had around 30 weapons and over 100 books stored, none of which went missing. Isn't it just more realistic this way anyway? You're a stranger in a foreign land... it's not the easiest thing to find a safe haven for you gear, but totally possible if you just look around a bit.

This. You don't even have to kill that "first dragon."

Cave dweller? Go talk to NPC's? Socialize?

The funny thing is that h OP sounds alot like the frustrated Merchant class of the middle ages that struggled to earn the privileges the the noble class took for granted. They never really owned anything, they just paid rent. Sounds to me like working as intended.

Staying in Riverwood for a while is always a viable option although I'm not positive that you can permanently store belongings.

I'm satisfied with my fully equiped house personally.

I like the 2 chests in it : 1 for alchemy stuff, 1 for junk.

I like the armor sets on the walls to put my magic weapons I don't want to sell on it.

I like the library where I can put together all the books I have...

It's just a shame that Lydia don't want to take her clothes off in the house !!

riften was AWFUL in this regard; the guards tell you there is a house for sell, and you should see the steward if you want to buy it... only the option never shows up until you do like 8 different quests in the town and you have no way of knowing they are ever even connected to getting a house. there are a few safe containers in the world... but again you have no way of knowing which ones.

its not like your buying a friggin palatial monstrosity thats currently being used as the warehouse for the towns most profitable business... your buying a cobweb-infested rat hole tucked away and abandoned in some foul corner of the city. why on earth do i need to kiss the ass of the entire town just for the right to PURCHASE a house? you know what? this was a great opportunity to showcase the nord's distrust of foreigners by having them present these BS menial tasks to do before they let you live amongst them. as it is however, its just a huge, unexplained annoyance.

I agree with OP. Having to be Thane to buy a property makes no sense. Are everyone in Whiterun Thanes?! I thought a Thane is the highest reward and title a Jarl can give to a person. I should be able to just throw gold coins at some NPC's face and take their property deeds and be done with it. You can add a bit of realism and say some NPC won't accept your gold for whatever reason unless you do something, but you get my point. At most, I need to be accepted by the city as a citizen or something (as in some kind of background check I suppose...), but not to the extent of being a Thane. Also why are there only 1 house for purchase per town? Does it not seem to systematic and unnatural?

Clear a fort. Put something in a chest. Mark it (like puttin string around a finger to remind you). Four to five game play days later, go back to it and see that object is still in there.

I done that in Oblivion and Fallout3 and it works. Just remember where you put it.

I got a house from Whiterun, but dreaming of Markath house that cost 8000. Would like to buy bigger one.

I smithed something and sold stuff which I found on bandits, also some questing to get money for Whiterun house. Now I got it fully upgraded.

I want a house OUTSIDE town.. like ya know.. a little shack in the woods with an alchemy table a bed and a cooking pot. I'd just gather ingredients all day then sleep then make potions for my next big day of ingredient gathering. Mmmm if only...

I'm level 20 and I have near 40.000 gold. easy money in this game, I sell a lot of stuff found in dungeons, I keep all items with a selling value > 50, and lydia help me carrying all this junk to town.

I'm rich... but If only I could craft this dragon or daedric armor ='(

Call Modders? A shack like that sounds simple but no storage? I would like a big chest at end of the bed.

A house outside of town... in a cemetery =D !

Exactly. And it didn't require you to do a quest after you bought it to make the house livable like the 5000 house in Oblivion.

My next character is going to be a Dunmer assassin and the first thing she's gong to do is the DB. I think I have 4 saved characters now. I just keep starting over, lol.

Mods will be the answer for you. Housing mods are some of the most popular mods and this is one area the modders really shine. Their house mods are usually better than anything Bethesda produces. I never get the uber big house mods though and I like having to do quests to get a house.

:D

I found a hollow log.

Use the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Alchemist%27s_Shack?

Or perhaps http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Meeko%27s_Shack, but I cannot remember if that has any containers.

There are many shacks all around Skyrim...

I get dragons galore and don't own the whiterun house and never even asked for it. Don't like Lydia and her being in your bedroom when you wake up is nuts. I'm going after the house in Riften or maybe Windhelm when we put down the rebellion.

I don't see much point in owning a house other than using it for sleeping.

It's not about buying the house, it's about doing the main quest stuff related to unlocking the option.

People still play Morrowind and Oblivion to date with mods and most of them don't bother to do the MQ more than once or twice. TES have always been like this. 'Been there, done that' but afterwards you don't care anymore about the main quest.

This. I wanted to buy a house in Markrath so I did all the quest I could for the jarl. It turns out I have to be level 20 to do a certain quest that grants me permission to buy property. Why can't I do the quest at any level? Even if I do get my butt kicked.