It's nice to have a base of operations to craft items and store all that Dragon Bone.

You don't need a house, exactly. Just use other people's stuff.

Containers you don't own get reset if you don't visit the area for ten days. Don't put anything irreplaceable in there.

Riverwood

There's a very handy barrel just outside the Riverwood Trader. Alvor the blacksmith has all the smithing stations except a Smelter. The Sleeping Giant Inn has an Alchemy Lab. The nearest Arcane Enchanter is in the cellar of Anise's Cabin, west across the river.

Whiterun

Warmaiden's has all the smithing stations as well as storage barrels. Farengar Secret-Fire has both an Alchemy Lab and an Arcane Enchanter in his room in Dragonsreach.

Raven Rock

The market has everything you need. The Arcane Enchanter is inside Morvayn Manor, just off to the side.

It's in the hills west of Riverwood, across the river. Just take a look in the cellar, and it's yours. Kind of.

While this is not an "official" house--and your followers may complain that you're not supposed to be in there--the containers in the cellar don't reset. It has an Alchemy Lab, an Arcane Enchanter, and a bed. Just don't store anything above-ground! It is also one of the easier houses to fast travel to, and it's close to the Guardian Stones.

Since the items in the cabin will remain "owned" even after you deal with the owner, taking them counts as stealing and you will be unable to sell them for a long time. You can tell which items were stolen by looking at the top-right of the item's description in your inventory. Just drop them somewhere outside.

It may not look like much from the outside, but Severin Manor on Solstheim has everything you need and doesn't cost you a penny. You just need to kill a bunch of tough monsters.

Talk to Glover Mallory the blacksmith in Raven Rock on Solstheim, and complete the Retrieve the Ancient Nordic Pickaxe and The Final Descent quests. (You don't have to defeat Zahkriisos or complete Black Book: Winds of Change.) Then, talk to Captain Veleth, who is fighting Ash Spawn just south of Raven Rock, and complete the March of the Dead and Served Cold quests.

If you have no DLC, this is the best-furnished house. It still lacks smithing stations.

Talk to Falk Firebeard in Castle Solitude and complete The Man Who Cried Wolf quest. Then, talk to Jarl Elisif and complete the Elisif's Tribute quest. Then, talk to Falk to make the most expensive purchase in Skyrim.

It'll cost time, effort, and gold, but there's something special about building your own little corner of the world.

When you reach level 9, you will receive a letter from Jarl Siddgeir, offering you a plot of land. Talk to the steward or jarl of Falkreath Hold, Hjaalmarch, or the Pale to start the Build Your Own Home quest.