Not at all strange. In fact a very good strategy. You may have to go further afield than the US though. IF you are limited to staying withing the 8's I would look for areas where your desired type of
boat is less common. Inland for cruisers, deep
water ports for day-sailers. The further south you go the better the selection and more likely you are to find a 'deal'. I'm talking deep south here; south of Corpus Christi, TX or south of
San Diego, CA
Also availability is going to be dependent on season. Being in
San Diego in April, just as everyone is leaving for
Mexico, is not going to get you any deals, but a few months later in Corpus Christi, as the storms start to hit the
Gulf Coast, may turn up some 'situations'.
Good luck on you search and hope the right boat finds you.