Spoiler Question about becoming Thane of all nine holds

[Jake Johnson]

My current build is trying to become Thane of all nine holds.

However, I read that it might get quite expensive -
I need to purchase five houses in the process.

Thane of Haafingar requires purchasing Proudspire Manor - 25,000G
Thane of The Reach requires purchasing Vlindren Hall - 8,000G
Thane of Eastmarch requires purchasing Hjerim - 12,000G
Thane of The Rift requires purchasing Honeyside - 8,000G
Thane of Whiterun requires purchasing Breezehome - 5,000G

Will becoming the "Uber-Thane" require shelling out 58,000G?

And I haven't even gotten into Hearthfire, if that becomes a requirement!

 

[Chadonraz]

You don't need to buy Breezehome to become Thane of Whiterun, unless you complete the Civil War on the Stormcloak side (reacquiring Thane status requires you to buy BH).

As for Hearthfire, purchasing the land plots isn't a requirement for becoming Thane of those three Holds.

Still pretty pricey, though. Especially if you want to buy all the upgrades for all the houses.

 

[Lucid]

You don't have to pay full price for any of those houses, they can all be purchased for several thousand less than the "list price". I discovered this on accident a long time ago, and have taken advantage of it since.

I'm sure that the minimum purchase prices are listed online somewhere, or you can work through it yourself. Give all of your money except 3,000 to a follower and try to buy the house you want. Increase your gold by 1,000 at a time and keep trying to buy until the Steward stops telling you that you don't have enough money.

And as Chadonraz said, you don't have to buy Breezehome to become Thane.

 

[Pálrún]

I've got all homes except Hjerim. I can't seem to do any other important quests or become a Thane for Windhelm without joining the Stormcloaks, which I did not intend to do in this build.

Any hints, or is that the only option?

 

[Loxoceles]

Only one I haven't purchased is Vlindren Hall. I cannot get the dialogue window to make the purchase. Money is no problem. I am now at 1.8million Gold. Selling weapons and apparel I have scrounged and or crafted is easy money.

 

[Annageckos]

I know you can get Breezehome for free, and assume it would work for the rest of the homes too. You need to have the gold on you and ask to buy the house. Before the gold is taken, but after accepting to buy it you need to back out of the conversation and store your gold in a container. You'll get the key to the house and get to keep your gold. You should be able to find a video to show you exactly what you need to do, but it's easy.

 

[Pálrún]

I got ProudSpire manor that way, it was so easy. Falk was right next to a cupboard.
I just paid for the upgrades.