So I am a relative newcomer to Oblivion. PC version, original DVD, no DLC, no add-ons, only mods are the official patches and the UOP.

I've done a few partial play throughs trying out different character types and play styles. First one I bought the little shack in the Imperial City and made that my base, but the storage seems quite limited and it's pretty small. The place got rather cluttered with stuff lying on the bed, floor and tables.

That first character is on hold now that I've learned a few things and I'm trying out something new. The current character is level 9, and is looking for a place to call home. Money isn't a big issue because the dungeon loot is getting pretty decent and he really doesn't have that many expenses.

I realize one option is to eventually buy all of the houses, but I'd like to pick one to make his home rather than having to remember which house I left things in, only to discover them much later.

I'd like enough containers close to each other for his alchemy supplies, and maybe to organize things by the basic pack categories (weapons, armor, clothing/jewelry, miscellaneous), and near enough to decent vendors for selling my surplus without a lot of running around.

Anyone have a favorite place? It doesn't have to be extremely fancy, but I'd like something nicer than the Imperial shack. I apologize if this has been well debated but I did a search and didn't come up with a thread.

Thanks for your suggestions.

~ Erlendur

The best house is Rosethorn Hall in Skingrad. It requires 15 fame and 25,000 gold to buy it. The arena will give you most of the fame but the septims are up to your character. Arborwatch in Chorrol has slightly less requirements. There’s a really nice cheap house in Anvil for sale, but that requires some work to get it cleaned up. The houses in Bruma and Cheydinhal have their own charm and are livable. The other cheap houses are useful only if you are broke and desperate.

Anvil, Benirus Manor is just the place. A cozy little chateau at a reasonable price. You'll love it to death.

My experience with Benirus Manor is that, even after it is cleaned up a bit and all of the issues with the prior tenant's family are resolved, it is still somewhat dark and gloomy inside. One thing I miss from Morrowind is the ability to place lanterns and candles to improve the mood lighting.

I don’t like gloomy either.

On second thought, since you are on the PC, you need to go to The Elder Scrolls Nexus and download the mod Red Rose Manor. It’s containers are logically arranged for efficient storage, plus the house has a lot of other consolidated features that are useful. I personally don’t like that last part, as I would rather gain access to equipment the hard way, but the house is really nice and the storage is great. You can ignore the extra cheat type things that are there if you wish.

Rosethorn Hall is certainly the most extravagant, but the out of the few I've actually purchased, I like the Leyawiin house, if only for the location. For whatever reason, I really enjoy the countryside surrounding Leyawiin and Bravil, it's oddly comforting.

I like Arborwatch, but if I remember correctly there weren't a lot of windows and that kind of turned me off.

From what I can remember, here's my opinion on the houses.

Bruma - Easily my favourite house in the game. Very homely, warm, and cosy. It's unique in that you have to go downstairs to access the main part of the house.

Cheydinhal - A fairly good choice, but overpriced. I wish they made it more like Lord Rugdumphs house. Then it would be my favourites without a doubt.

Bravil - ........

Leyawiin - Depends how much you like the city. It's a horrible house, but a fairly nice city.

Skingrad - The most expensive house in the game. It's a huge mansion and comes with a butler. Lots and lots of storage space. The lighting is a bit off though.

Chorrol - Don't remember too much about this one. Other than its a great location if you're part of the Fighters Guild.

Anvil - An absolutely brilliant quest. And a bargain! The lighting is the only bad thing about this house. If you want a cheap house, get this!

Imperial City - If you're a member of the Thieves Guild then it's okay. Otherwise avoid this house like the plague.

I think I covered everything. I hope this is helpful Harry.