Summer best time to buy household items

The start of summer brings good deals on kitchen items, tools, some types of furniture and even new carpeting.

Q: What are the best household-related items to buy to save money?

A: This usually is a great time to buy pots, pans, dishes, small kitchen utensils or even a microwave oven. That’s because such items typically show up on June and July wedding-registry lists, and retailers are willing to cut prices to get their share of those sales.

Tools have been on sale for the past couple of weeks, but you’ll likely see even bigger discounts in July as retailers slash prices on the tools that didn’t sell in the previous month.

There still are some great deals out there on new furniture — discounts of 60 percent or more — especially if you’re willing to settle for the current designs instead of insisting on the new models that will hit the stores later this summer.

It may seem odd, but many carpet retailers and carpet installers also are willing to offer discounts now. One reason is that homeowners focus on hiring roofers during the summer while the weather is good and their work can get done before the rainy season arrives. The pricing power slowly shifts back to carpet sellers and installers in the fall and winter, because they can work inside instead of on a slippery roof.

Q: We are buying our first home, but we’re confused about what date we should have the transaction close. My sister, who knows a lot about real estate, says that we should close on the first day of the month. Our real estate agent, though, says we’ll save more money if we close at the very end of the month. What do you think?

A: Take your agent’s advice and close your transaction at or near the end of the month.

Unlike rent, which is paid in advance, mortgages are paid in arrears. In an example provided by mortgage giant LendingTree, if you closed on a $200,000 home loan at 5 percent on the 15th of this month, you’d owe 15 days of interest at $27.40 per day. That’s a total of $411.

If you instead closed on the 29th, you’d owe only $54.80 in interest at closing and wouldn’t have to make your second payment until August.

That’s a savings of $356.20 in out-of-pocket cash — money that could come in handy to pay moving-related expenses or buy some small items for your new home.

Real estate trivia: LendingTree reports that home buyers in Indiana make the smallest average down payment on a house, at $24,438. Buyers in Washington, D.C., make the largest, at $89,916.

Q: I am hoping that you’ll inform your readers about a product recall regarding a new type of “swinging” chairs. We bought two Ramart Swing Chairs from the HomeGoods retail chain in May, and the chair tipped over. We have since received a notice that the chairs are being recalled.

A: The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall for about 300 of the Ramart chairs on June 11, barely three months after they began appearing in many of the roughly 400 HomeGoods stores across the nation.

According to the CPSC, the recall involves green, apple-shaped swing chairs and brown, teardrop-shaped swing chairs. They hang from a chain connected to a metal stand with a circle-shaped base. HomeGoods has reported about a dozen injuries due to the malfunctions, including at least one suffered by an infant.

The chairs, which sold for about $400 each, are made from plastic rattan and have red cushions. They measure about 42 inches in diameter and are 43 inches tall, with a 48-inch-wide seat cushion. The stand that they hang from measures about 77 inches tall.

The government says consumers who own these chairs should stop using them immediately. HomeGoods is giving a full refund for each chair that’s returned.

Details about the return program can be obtained by calling the retailer at 800-8880776 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, or by visiting www.homegoods.com or cpsc.gov.

The HomeGoods/Ramart recall is the second involving hanging chairs in recent weeks. On June 4, Big Lots recalled 16,000 chairs made in China due to tip-over concerns. Details of the buyback plan are available by calling Big Lots toll-free, 866-224-5687, or by visiting biglots.com or the CPSC’s website.