Getting Breezehome for free is one of the best ways for players to make a home for themselves in Skyrim. After defending Whiterun from a dragon attack during the Dragon Rising main quest, Jarl Balgruuf will make you a Thane of Whiterun. As Thane, you have the right to purchase and own property in the city, including the Breezehome starter house.
Breezehome isn’t necessarily the best house to buy in Skyrim, but it’s a rather cozy starter property in one of Skyrim’s most interesting cities. Its location near Warmaiden’s, the city’s local smithy and armor shop, makes it a convenient property to own. However, the asking price of 5,000 Gold is rather steep if you’ve just started your adventures, so you can use a clever exploit to get it for free.
How To Get Whiterun’s Breezehome For Free In Skyrim
To get Breezehome for free, you need to have 5,000 Gold in your inventory to cover the price of the house; however, by using the exploit you won’t actually spend any of it. Start by finding Proventus Avenicci, the Jarl’s steward, and speak to him just as he’s about to sleep or get up from bed.
Proventus’ living quarters can be found in the Jarl’s Quarters in Dragonsreach Keep. His room is the first door on the right as you enter the Jarl’s Quarters.
Proventus has three different wardrobes in his room. You need to position your character, so one of these wardrobes is as close as possible.
Before speaking to Proventus, it’s highly recommended that you quicksave, so you can reload and try again if you fail your first attempt. Make sure a wardrobe is within easy reach.
While Proventus is next to a wardrobe, interact with him to start a dialogue and select “I’d like to purchase a house in the city” and “I’ll take it” to buy the house.
As soon as you’ve selected the final dialogue option, exit the dialogue and immediately open the nearby wardrobe while Proventus is still speaking. You’ll need to open the wardrobe before the jingle sound effect plays, which indicates you’ve spent Gold.
Store all of your Gold in the wardrobe and exit. If you’ve managed to pull off this exploit, you’ll still receive the Key to Breezehome for free, and the Whiterun Home Decorating Guide which allows you to purchase additional house upgrades. Make sure to grab your Gold from the wardrobe before leaving to check out your new home.
How To Upgrade Breezehome For Free In Skyrim
When you first purchase Breezehome, it’s rather barebones. You can renovate by purchasing various house upgrades from Proventus:
|
House Upgrade |
Cost |
|---|---|
|
Alchemy Lab |
500 Gold |
|
Bedroom furnishings |
300 Gold |
|
Dining room decorations |
250 Gold |
|
Kitchen furnishings |
300 Gold |
|
Living room furnishings |
250 Gold |
|
Child’s Bedroom (Hearthfire expansion required, replaces Alchemy Lab) |
250 Gold |
|
Housecarl’s Quarters |
Free |
As such, a fully upgraded Breezehome will cost you over 1,000 Gold more. However, you can use the same exploit to purchase house upgrades for free.
To do this, speak to Proventus while he’s in the room behind the Jarl’s throne, which has a war table and a chest beside it. Ask him to purchase each upgrade, exit the dialogue and store all of your Gold in the chest.
You can repeat this several times until you’ve purchased all of the house upgrades. Proventus will only sell house upgrades when he’s in Dragonsreach, not the Jarl’s Quarters, but the exploit still works.
An alternative to buying Breezehome is to marry Ysolda, a local merchant and one of Skyrim’s best female marriage candidates. Ysolda has a home in Whiterun you can share if she’s married. This doesn’t cost anything, but you’ll have to complete her Rare Gifts side quest before you can marry her.
Ultimately, Breezehome is likely to be just the first home you purchase in Skyrim. However, getting Breezehome for free and upgrading it for free will save you a lot of Gold. This allows you to save up your Skyrim Gold for other, more important purchases.