I have a Brother PE-780D -- if you get the PE-770 it would start at about $800 - the difference is that my machine does disney desgins, and the 770 doesn't.
I got it at a shop in Greensburg PA -- and I won't ever go back to buying machines "off the shelf" again. The girls at that shop have gone ABOVE and BEYOND to help me in whatever way I needed to get me started and confident using my machine.
I started by internet researching - that's how I decided on a Brother -- the closest shop (my shop now!) is an hour and 20 minutes away, but I still wouldn't drive the 20 minutes to the "box store" to get a machine now.
Look at all the manufacter's websites, make a list of what you want, which machines have what you want, then search out those machine's dealers near you.
Yes, it's about the machine, but it's just as much about where you buy it and how helpful that place is when you have questions.