Best time to get pool deals?

[Guest]

I am looking for a pool and have been shopping online. They are all offering sales, some even say they end Memorial day. I saw last year "clearances" at the end of season but limited availability.

When is really the best time to get a deal?

I would have to do the site prep this summer and can wait to get the pool, but if now is the time, I would prefer to do it now.

What have you all experienced?

 

[Laenini]

We bought our pool last summer at the end of July during a special sales event our local pool store was having. Its 24' round and 48" deep. It has 6 inch rails around the top. The pool came with a sand filter system, pump, skimmer, vacuum, telescoping pole, a-frame ladder, and chemical kit. Also included was a full installation minus the electrical circuit I need an electrician to put in. We paid $2100 for the whole package at an end of summer sale at a local pool store called Watsons. I think we got a good deal and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Here is a pic of our pool (no deck or landscaping yet).

edit to fix typo

 

[mastiffs08]

i think the beginning of the season and end of the season are good times. We bought our pool in the end of april last year for $2000. That included the 18' pool 52" walls, 19" sand filter, 1 hp pump, upgrade steps and ladder (need the self locking gate due to city codes so we couldn't get the ladder that flipped up) and installation. The pool itself was $799 on sale and during the summer it is $1500 for the pool alone.

 

[badutahboy]

Let's be real here.... the dead of winter is the best time for deals for anything summer related.. It doesn't really matter whether you're buying a pool, a motorcycle, or a boat.. you'll get your best deals in November-January...

However, the question becomes this... Is it worth waiting it out to save a couple hundred bucks on a purchase of $2000+? Only you can make that decision. With the internet, you'll always be able to find a good price... but if you really want the deals, buy in January.

 

[budster]

This is an excellent subject! Most manufacturers in this industry announce their price increases in October or November, and many give an opportunity to purchase at "old price" until January or February. So, in one sense, prices that are set for the current season are not going to "do down" toward the end of the year. Thus, it is on the back of the seller to determine what specials and discounts they want to offer. If I offer some specials (cut my margin) to stimulate sales of certain slow-moving or over-inventoried products, the dealers may pass these on. Such would indeed happen at the "close of the season", which varies by geography.

OTOH, I suppose I'm really saying that each seller can offer specials at any time during a season. His prices are not falling towards the end of the season normally, he's just hungrier!

Another point -- if you are purchasing a new pool, or a significant remodel job, AND you live where construction is halted for the winter, a contract in November, for example, that cannot be executed until the next April, will not be a good deal to that builder, as his material costs will go up at the time of purchase. Thus, if you can purchase in September or October for construction that can happen then, you might get a better deal, indeed.