Thanks! Most of the pool out here is played on these tables so I figured I’d grab one. Hoping to find one around $3500
$3,500 is about the going rate so you've got the right idea. The only problem is that they aren't listed for sale very often and when they do go on sale they're usually sold very quickly.
I think 7 footers are in higher demand than 9 footers. There was a guy around here with a 9 foot blue label that he needed to sell in a hurry and he had the price down to $2,200 before it finally sold. I wish I had the cash at that time.
As an alternative cheaper option, you can easily upgrade a valley to play very challenging with rails similar to a Diamond. I did this a few years ago and loved the outcome. The pockets ended up being tighter than a Diamond but the Diamonds have a deeper shelf. Here's what I spent:
Used Valley: $430
New Balls: $80
Simonis Cloth: $235
Ridgeback Rails: $225
Rail Covering by Ridgeback: $48
Shipping $35
Bed Cloth Installation: $100
Light: $100
Total: $1253
If I could do it over again I would install the bed cloth myself. It's extremely simple and I've done it a few times since. You can't really screw it up since the glue is almost like velcro where you can stick and unstick it as many time as needed. RKC will be providing a free video soon on how to install bed cloth. Good luck!