Help! Picking out first guitar?

Danielle - please do NOT buy a guitar from eBay or anywhere else online. Find a local guitar shop - the kind that caters to the professional musicians in your area- every larger town/smaller city will have one. They will be able to set you up with an instrument in your budget that is set up properly so it's as easy to play as possible - and they'll help you as you progress and want a better guitar. Your best bet will be a used guitar that someone else traded in because they were moving up. The problem with eBay and other online/mail order is that the instruments will not be adjusted properly, and in order to get that done you'll wind up spending another $50-100 . Deal with a reputable store and they're not going to let anything out the door that is not set up as good as it can possibly be. PS - in your price range / experience level brand name makes no difference. What you want is something that will stay in tune and be easy for you to learn on. I've taught kids for almost half a century... the #1 reason they quit is that they're trying to learn on a guitar that is not set up properly and is too hard to play. Best of luck to you.