What can we learn from buying a house in Skyrim?

L&C recently ran a study to find out the real world value of video game properties. You might be surprised to find out that more people Google ‘How to buy a house in Skyrim’ than ‘How to buy a house in London’ Paris, or even New York.

So what could this mean in reality? We’ve put together a comparison so you can figure out whether you’d be hanging out in Hyrule or slumming it in Fallout 4’s Home Plate. Or perhaps, you might want to take out a mortgage to live like a king in Corvo Bianco Vineyard. Let’s take a look…

Ophelia Villa of The Sims 4 is an old manor with three bedrooms in the Pendula View neighbourhood of Willow Creek. With grand gothic architecture, three floors and surrounded by greenery, it’s a sought after property valued at 254,721 Simoleans. We worked this out to be worth £177,639 in real terms (see how we worked it out here). As you can imagine this is fantastic value! In reality that could buy you a three bed detached house in Bridgend - Wales, or a two bed flat in the centre of Sheffield.

If you were to buy Eclipse Towers, a Penthouse Suite in San Andreas - Grand Theft Auto, you’ll find it offers modern luxury but has a price tag to match. A 27-story white high-rise condominium, you’ll be up in the clouds but may have to overhear the odd shady deal in the lift on the way up. Valued at £814,815, you could buy something similar on City Island – London such as a two bed duplex for £809,000. Or, why not try the other end of the country and snap up a nine bed detached house in Thornhill - Dumfries and Galloway for a similar price.

Proudspire Manor is the most expensive house in Skyrim, an ancient pile and consequently a bit of a ‘fixer upper’. With three stories, it also offers the novelty of an alchemy lab, if that’s your thing! There are great amenities including a wide variety of shopkeepers and sea and forest views from the patio. So while it’s in need of a refurb it could be perfect for the right buyer. It’ll set you back 25,000 Septims, or £46,208. You’d be hard pushed to find somewhere in reality for that price, but you could buy a plot of land to build your own home in Llangefni – on the Welsh island of Anglesey, or even a one bed mobile home in Wolverhampton for £50,000. Skyrim property sounds like a great investment to us.

Property in Fallout 4 is going cheap, but it isn’t such good value. Probably something to do with the post-apocalyptic environment; you won’t get such great views here. Neither will you enjoy quality of air. You could buy Home Plate for 2000 Fallout Caps, or £652, which could be a great way to get a foot onto the property ladder for any first time buyers! There isn’t much you can get in reality for that. We’ve found a lovely allotment in Hull with a statutory plot of 250 m2 costing £63.40 a year. There’s also an annual £8 charge for water per plot. If you’re lucky you’ll get a shed thrown in; with a few mod cons you’ll feel right at home and you won’t have to shelter from nuclear fallout.

Link’s House in Hyrule is also a bit of a character property. A tree house on the outskirts of Ordon Village, you’ll get some excellent treetop views and plenty of peace and quiet out in the woods. Valued at 50,000 rupees, this translates to £51,637 in real terms. You’ll be pretty limited on this budget and might want to take out a mortgage to upgrade, but you could go for a studio flat in Glasgow for £51,000 or a two bedroom terraced house in Barrow-In-Furness.

The most expensive of the properties in the study, the Corvo Bianco Vineyard in Witcher III may see you requiring to take out a sizeable mortgage. Valued at 1,034,685 Novigrad Crowns, this works out at £965,664. It comes with a majordomo (caretaker) who manages both the large estate and impressive vineyard, so it’s not surprising it comes with a hefty price tag! Not to mention it’s constructed on Elven ruins, quite the talking point… Real world equivalents include a two bed apartment in Canary Wharf for £900,000 or a ten bed terraced house in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Neither are estates with vineyards but both have their charm.

So what can we ultimately learn and take from this into the real world of property?

Firstly, it’s always a case of choosing the worst house on the best street, rather than the best house on the worst street. While Proudspire Manor might need a good refurb, it still sits in acres of beautiful grounds. You can make it something amazing. However, while Homeplate is ‘cheap as chips’, you can’t do anything about the nuclear fallout slowly killing you. It might be wise to consider ‘location, location, location’ before you purchase. There are many things you won’t be able to change about the location once you settle in; noisy neighbours, poor air quality, a major airport flight path overhead or planning for 600 houses at the bottom of your garden.

Secondly is space. While you can always remodel and update a house to your own taste, you can’t always make it any bigger! If you lump for the allotment in Hull there’s only so much land for you to extend your shed and the council might have something to say about it. Or if Eclipse Towers Penthouse Suite is your thing, you may find you want to renovate but it’s about as modern as it could be already. It’s difficult to make a duplex look antique if that’s what you’re after.

There are lots of things to take into consideration when purchasing a property, but it isn’t all about the price tag.

See the full study here in our In-Depth Analysis of The Video Game Housing Market

Property prices correct on RightMove as of 30/10/18.