Hello and welcome from Maine! I am also a newbie so I know how you feel! I always post my questions on this board; the people are so knowledgeable, helpful and friendly it's amazing.
I also needed to get a newmachine and was in the same price range. I actually got a great deal on my machine. I bought the Baby Lock Grace. It is a great machine in my opinion. The good thing about buying from your LQS is that often times you can upgrade for a newer model, more expensive machine during the first year. So, you really don't have to wait to save up!
The dealer where I got my Baby Lock will let me trade up anytime within the first year and will credit me the full purchase price of my current machine towards the purchase of a hgher end one!
Also, ask for deals. LQS are looking for your business and you want to build a good relationship with them. They threw in the walking foot, darning foot, and 1/4"foot with guide and a Baby Lock sewing bag for free- value on the freebies was about 85.00 alone. I spent 299. on my machine with all the above!
There are deals to be had you just have to look for them! Good luck and let us know what you decide....