Need advise - buying a pool table for home?

Vegas Matt is right on. What I would recommend is finding a good table on craigslist. There are always a bunch of tables for sale. Don't worry so much about the cloth, as you will likely want to have that replaced anyway. As was mentioned, the quality of the slate is most important. If possible, find a table that is already assembled to see how it looks put together. That way, you'll know right away if it's missing any parts. When you settle on a table, hire a professional pool table mover to do everything else. Just go to your local billiards supply store and they should either be able to do it for you or would know who would.