Elhanan wrote...
Thus far, I am not enamored over my first few homes, though I am grateful for there being homes;
* Whiterun - a nice cottage I call The Firepit. Do not plan on enetering or leaving in great haste, or you may need a new pair of boots. There is no Enchanters table, the Alchemy lab is in s small backroom, and the ladder stairway has a trick step on the top rung. Plus a houseguest I never wamted, though she seems amiable enough.
* Sanctuary near Dawnstar - took a few times around the new digs to finally find the bedrooms. And if one does not actually want a Torture Chamber, the quest log does not appear to complete. And the house guest here is less than endearing, though she pays well.
* Markath - not a bad looking home, but hate the No Escape bedrooms (how I managed to trap some vics in their own places). And this abode seems to have an animated statue that moved off a stand towards the table over time; kinda scary if you have visted any other houses in the city that includes moving furnishings (hint; hint). And do not leave in in a rush, cause that last step is a lulu.
Amyone have a top recommendation for a new place?
Solitude. Mainly because I like Jordis (housecarl) though it's the most expensive house in the game I think (25k). But it's the biggest house (it's a manor) I think you can buy.
I've currently got Markrath, Solitude and Whiterun, though most of them (except Markrath) are still in pretty bad condition (lack of furnishings).
Markrath is awesome. It's like a different place, almost removed from the rest of Skyrim, really. It's where my character feels tempted by the more disturbing aspects of her personality for which she feels both self disgust and liberating freedom which she would never give up. First discovered at Namira's feast, which she originally attended out of fear and curiosity before realizing it was both enjoyable and for the greater good. Hence the shame.
Basically, I liked the bonuses of Namira's Ring and tried to justify it within the confines of my character concept. Well, that at least explains why I still use it. I really did do the quest because I was afraid of pissing off the whole town/getting owned and because I wanted to see where it was going.
I don't know about Riften, I probably won't try out the Thieves Guild questline in my current playthrough, so someone else can elaborate on that. I think though that Riften has those living mannequins too (more than one).