So I'm playing my game not as the dragon born. So as I'm sure some of you know that means I cannot be thane and get a house. So I'm wondering if I download hearthfire can I build myself a house? I Really need a house and don't want to ruin my role play by becoming dragonborn too early. Please help

You're still technically dragonborn.

If you get Hearthfire, eventually the Jarl of Falkreath will contact you, go from there.

That's the easiest way, I think.

Others will probably tell you the rest.

Ciao.

*Update*

I can't remember which, but winning the war on a specific side will banish the original Jarl of Falkreath from Falkreath and replace him with someone else. If this happens after receiving the letter, I do not believe it is possible to purchase land there any more. Be careful.

If you choose not to do the main quest, you will only miss out on the house (and becoming Thane) in Whiterun. The Hearthfire homes and thane quests for the other holds are separate. You just need to make sure that you have enough gold available.

Are you using the vanilla start, i.e. Helgen and everything? If so, I believe you should be able to do the quests that entitle you to buy a house in any of the other Holds beside Whiterun, which includes the ones in Hearthfire. Falkreath (Hearthfire) is usually the most straightforward to get, because the Jarl's task is usually 'go and kill some bandits', and then you just have to help three local citizens, several of them have tasks that are no more complicated than 'take this to that other guy in town'. Siddgeir's an ass, but he's a pushover, so.

If you're using an alt start mod, then I think it varies, but for example Skyrim Unbound you can save up 10,000 gold and buy Breezehome and become Thane of Whiterun, get Lydia as Housecarl etc, whether or not you are playing as the Dragonborn (if you have never used Skyrim Unbound, it lets you switch off dragon soul absorption and word walls altogether so you aren't the Dragonborn, or you can enable them at a later point.)

you don't need to be dragonborn to get a house in Markarth, Riften, Solitude and hearthfire houses.

Except for Breezehome/Whiterun, the house in Windhelm is the only one not available, since it's only up for sale if you do the civil war, and you can't progress far enough in civil war questline without being revealed as the Dragonborn.

There are also a few other possibilites, depending on how much space you need: You could marry someone with a house. You could check out http://uesp.net/wiki/Category:Skyrim-Places-Safe and take your pick. And of course, if you're on PC, there are plenty of housing mods on Nexus.

I hadn't thought of that...

(It applies to my post as well in that he cannot possibly complete the war on either side.)

Cool cool thanks fellas I haven't tried becoming thane in other places because I figured I couldn't. My nord has been living in the woods and mountains sleeping in bandit camps and random caves and I've done this up to level 36. I figured by now I'm BA enough to have a house lol.

OP-if you are on PC then there are mods that let you play Skyrim as a regular person (ie NOT Dragonborn) and buy the house in Whiterun, etc.

Damn Harry, that's hardcoe. I'm doing the same thing on my Orc, but he's only level 5.

Yeah I wanted to be kinda realistic with it. This is my characters back story if you're interested.,.............

Vadar was born in a nomadic Nordic tribe. He was the middle child of three sons and his father was a fierce warrior with an intense hatred for the Empire. The oldest of the sons was named Ragnar. Ragnar was bald with Nordic tattoos on his face and refused to wear any armor that wasn't fashioned from an animal he slayed. He left the tribe when vadar and his younger brother Bold-One were just turning the age of manhood. He hasn't been seen since and their father Olaf Bone Crusher suspects he is dead. After reaching the appropriate age and after their mother was murdered by the thamlor for preaching about talos they left the tribe with an intense anger and hatred in their hearts. They soon fell in to a bandit group who was surprisingly made up of decent men bent on stealing and only killing if need be. Vadar never killed an innocent as the same with Bold-One but they didHowever whitness a few people die at the hands of their group. After a year of this the brothers were sick of this life and dreamed of being rich. Bold one had the idea of making skomma after smoking some with a kagket in their group named dajarro. Dajarro claimed this make of skomma was made from Materials only found in the black Marsh. A dangerous country home to the argonions. After a discussion and two of the group leaving they were ready to get going. They knew of a pirate group who had a ship that was rumored to have sailed to the black Marsh and made it back. Vadar and his brother sought out these pirates with an offer to buy the ship. The Pirates decided on just robbing the two brothers. Within ten minutes ten pirates laid dead and vadar and bold one set sail with their new ship. Once the entire crew of 15 was amassed with weapons food andAnd armor they set sail to the black Marsh. Upon arriving they noticed many abandoned and wrecks ships all due to the harsh realities of the black Marsh. They captured an argonion and he warned them of death if they continued on into the Marsh. The group with vadars call released the lizard so he could inform the rest that they were there for peace not war. Little known to them the argonion told takes of evil pale men on the way to slaughter and enslave the tribes of the black Marsh. Six months in and many battles later vadars ship was capsized by an argonion trap. The men who made it off the ship were picked off in the waters by the argonions and the rest drowned. The only three to make it to shore were vadar, bold one, and a red haired nord named havaner. They dug into the jungles and survived off whatever they could. One night bold one awoke to havaner talking to himselfSaying he had to kill the brothers for then he would gain their strength to fight a thousand lizards. Bold one and vadar both put him out of his insanity with a blade. So for five years after the brothers lived in the swamp. Everyday was a fight for survival. Until one day they spotted a ship a few miles off the coast line. They swam out and snunk onto the ship without being detected and made the passage back to Skyrim eating skeevers in the cargo hold for another three months. Arriving tired and starving they snunk off the boat and crossed the border. They set up camp and slept before heading into skyrim. When they woke up they were ambushed by imperials and Bold one took three arrows to the chest. As he laid dying in vadars arms,more imperials surrounded him and took him prisoner. Once he was gagged the Imperials took boldones body and threw it on the other side of the of the border claiming stormclocks don't belong in Skyrim. Vadar went crazy with anger and was knocked unconscious thus waking up in a wagon with the other stormclocks on the way to the heads men.

Also the older brother I speak of ends up being the nord that employed teldreyn seros and attacked the bandit camp and was killed. Vader will finally find out the fate of his brother once I travel to deal with miraak.

Perhaps if you seperated the text into paragraphs people would be more inclinded to read it.

Because a long wall of text doesn't look particularly inviting regardless of what it is, just a suggestion.

Oh alright well if you get the time check it out I thought of it all and just kept writing. Seems to be pretty original so like I said if you got time let me know what you think/ideas on anything else.

Agree 100% and I DID NOT read that bloated paragraph.

I had a bit of a squint at it and it seemed like it had potential but then my eyes burned out and now I have no eyes YOU OWE ME SOME EYES, INTERNET.

Sorry, I'm a bit tired and silly.

Paragraphed for you reading convenience.

I think people would be more inclined to read it if you'd edit it to split it up into paragraphs. Just a friendly suggestion.

Thank you.