Best of luck in the hunt. I’d agree with all other posted advice, mainly the part about having the funds in your hand and ready to move instantly.
The other argument I would make is that if you can wait until after the ice season, you stand to save some money. Demand is at an all-time high for the industry. Once the first inevitable cold snap hits the Upper Midwest in the coming weeks, that will only accelerate. Multiply those factors with the idea that materials to build these things are hard to get in today’s global supply network…and you come out with drastically increased prices.