I'm level 20 and spending pretty much all of my cash for training. I store my stuff in one of the guild houses.

Is there a really good reason to spend 5000+ on a house?

I bought one just to have a chest to store stuff in... honestly money isn't really an object in Skyrim, at least not that I found. Selling stuff I find adventuring makes me plenty.

I spent $25,000 on the fancy house in Solitude (plus the $10,000 for the upgrades). And honestly, I continue to have too much money (at level 30). You want a good reason to spend the money? A legally owned house is the only place that you can store stuff without that stuff randomly disappearing. If you plan on collecting the dragon priest masks, dragon bones, ruin claws, or anything of the like, I recommend investing. There are also a myriad of daedric artifacts and the like that you probably shouldn't want to sell. Collect them, store them, and continue adventuring without feather.

storage

as far as I remember from morrowind and oblivion, the engine is designed to fill containers with random stuff except when the player puts something in them. Meaning that you could theoretically store your treasure in any chest in the world without it ever disappearing. So far I can confirm that. Has anyone had their stuff disappear from a chest over time?

@LocoRocker: iirc one of the loading screen tips explicitly stated that items not stored in container you own can disappear

If you join any of the guilds you will earn some good coin really fast. Houses are indeed good for storage, but in Oblivion some had secrets. I only have the one in Whiterun at the moment so can't confirm wether or not houses in Skyrim has interesting elements.

@LocoRocker: I don't have Skyrim yet but I would recommend getting a house, here's why.

In Morrowind I stored all my stuff in guilds and it was fine.

I tried the same in Oblivion I stored all my stuff in the Arch-Mages room when I became leader of the mages guild. I filled the drawers and cabinets with all my extra armor, weapons and potions.

Later on I joined the Thieves guild and had to steal from the Arch-Mage, me. I went to my room to find all my stuff was gone and replaced with generic loot.

@project343 said:

I spent $25,000 on the fancy house in Solitude (plus the $10,000 for the upgrades). And honestly, I continue to have too much money (at level 30). You want a good reason to spend the money? A legally owned house is the only place that you can store stuff without that stuff randomly disappearing. If you plan on collecting the dragon priest masks, dragon bones, ruin claws, or anything of the like, I recommend investing. There are also a myriad of daedric artifacts and the like that you probably shouldn't want to sell. Collect them, store them, and continue adventuring without feather.

How awesome is that house?

Like most, the only reason I got a house was for reliable storage. I think it's worth it.

I'm level 27 and have probably about $50,000 after buying a house and buying quite a bit of training. I'm trying to grind through the last leg of the Thieves guild and along the way I'm stealing everything in sight. When your fences up the amount of money they carry, you can really cash in.

@CJduke said:

How awesome is that house?

Pretty damn awesome. Purchasing that house is also a requirement for becoming a Thane of Solitude. Here's a video-tour:

Mhmm.. Also for storage. Store both stuff and my housecarl in my Whiterun house. Also, wtf do you use dragon bones/scales for?

Yeah chests other than those you own have never been safe, not in any of the previous games, nor Skyrim. Buy a house.

As people have said, storage is the #1 reason. Another good reason is that many of the houses have purchasable alchemy and enchanting labs, making it nice and convenient for leveling those with your storage chest nearby. Thirdly, there's vanity displays in some of them like dagger cases, book shelves, weapon racks, or mannequins you can dress up in gear, which are all fun to fill up with the spoils of dungeon looting (for me, at least). It'd have been nice if there was more customization options, but I still really enjoyed purchasing all of the houses and seeing what sort of things they had.

@CaptainKay said:

Mhmm.. Also for storage. Store both stuff and my housecarl in my Whiterun house. Also, wtf do you use dragon bones/scales for?

They're used to make dragonbone and dragon scale armor (level 100 Blacksmithing perk). Though by all means sell most of them if you've been stockpiling. I've made both full sets and it only took like a total of 20 of each, if that, and I had stockpiled like 80 of them before hitting 100 blacksmithing XD (though never hurts to have spares if you want to make extra sets for different enchants or companions or whatever)

Careful storing your stuff in the Guild Houses, things tend vanish!

it's a place to store your shit.

@LocoRocker: I bought one to have a place for my wife to stay.

Gotta put a roof over Lydia's head.

The achievement, and a place to store your stuff. That's about it.

Houses provide reliable storage with multiple dressers, chests and end tables. Plus...they're pretty.

Haven't you played Animal Crossing?

Houses are fun!

You don't need the gold lateron anyway (I have 75k and no idea how to spend it).

Chest.

You can have an escort to pass by in those cold lonely Skyrim nights

ok guys, I'm convinced, just bought the first house :)

THEM DRAGON BONES ARE HEAVY SON. No seriously, they weigh stupid amounts. Besides, there's an achievement for getting all the houses anyway. My only problem so far is that there just isn't enough containers in the house in Solitude. It's more or less a hub to me. You should get married too since your spouse acts as a new vendor and you get 100-300 gold from them every day.

Clean bathrooom, nice bed, privacy. Basic amenities of a real house.

You get a free house when you marry someone.

@Voxel: how does one get married? I recall some priest talking about wearing an amulet to signify the "opennness" for a relationship

@LocoRocker: I haven't done it myself yet, but I believe you have to visit the Temple of Mara in Riften. You can probably figure it out from there, as I will likely be doing myself right away.

@Mike76x said:

@LocoRocker: I don't have Skyrim yet but I would recommend getting a house, here's why.

In Morrowind I stored all my stuff in guilds and it was fine.

I tried the same in Oblivion I stored all my stuff in the Arch-Mages room when I became leader of the mages guild. I filled the drawers and cabinets with all my extra armor, weapons and potions.

Later on I joined the Thieves guild and had to steal from the Arch-Mage, me. I went to my room to find all my stuff was gone and replaced with generic loot.

Wow, I had never even considered that. But honestly, what kind of Arch Mage joins the Thieves' Guild?

@Aas: a really sneaky one?

I spent $25,000 on the fancy house in Solitude (plus the $10,000 for the upgrades). 

@AhmadMetallic: You get gold at an increasing rate as you play. It's not really a problem later on.

your own crib - you can bring ladies to it

but seriously its good stash spot. You shouldn't forget where you hide your stuff.

@sagesebas said:

@LocoRocker: I bought one to have a place for my wife to stay.

that's my reason as well, wives also get steady income which they will share with you, so in the long run it will pay for itself.

I'm using my place in Windhelm to display all my Daedric artifacts. Got most of them so far, I think. Defiantly more than half.

The wallmounts, display cases and weapon racks are kinda awesome if you put unique items on them, at least it makes me smile.

@AhmadMetallic said:

@project343 said:

I spent $25,000 on the fancy house in Solitude (plus the $10,000 for the upgrades).

How/when did you make so much money? Did you spent 20 hours looting, fast traveling to shops, selling, repeat?

After level 25, you'll find yourself rolling in money. I literally have to 'figure out' how to spend it. Every dungeon run usually nets you 5+ enchanted weapons that individually sell for $900-1500.

Honestly? Prestige...Yo I'm the grand master of theives and the grand leader of the companions (or whatever they call me) and I live in a shitty house in Whiterun. I feel like a hack whenever guards and people praise me for my awesomeness, yet Alena and I sleep on a bed made of straw in a 1 bedroom house in a town that sucks. As soon as I get more benjamins I'm buying the nicest house in Skyrim, which I believe is that solitude house.

Oh and storage, them dragon bones is heavy.

I ended up moving in with my wife. After I bought my house

need a place to put dragon bones you know what i'm saying?

Been storing all my stuff in the chests in the secret room below the inn in Riverwood, any chance those will disappear? 30 hours in and everything's still there but just wondering. 

It's nice putting all my books on the bookshelves. 

Gotta put a roof over Lydia's head.

@project343 said:

I spent $25,000 on the fancy house in Solitude (plus the $10,000 for the upgrades). And honestly, I continue to have too much money (at level 30). You want a good reason to spend the money? A legally owned house is the only place that you can store stuff without that stuff randomly disappearing. If you plan on collecting the dragon priest masks, dragon bones, ruin claws, or anything of the like, I recommend investing. There are also a myriad of daedric artifacts and the like that you probably shouldn't want to sell. Collect them, store them, and continue adventuring without feather.

I'm pretty sure your Skyrim character isn't swimming in dollars. Septims maybe, but USD? Nonsense, I say!

One reason, mannequins. In Windhelm you have three of them, oh yeah.

@elcalavera said:

One reason, mannequins. In Windhelm you have three of them, oh yeah.

that is sick, dude