Read a lot of the threads on here. You'll find lots of good advice and some if might actually be useful! From my experience, the FEL is something you'll find indispensible after about 15 minutes of using it. You may want to get a simple back blade since they are a lot less money than a box blade. You will definitely need some serious amount of weight on the back, preferably the rear tires or wheels, to use the FEL safely. Stick with a local, knowledgeable, long established dealership where the people are willing to listen to your novice questions, perhaps smile with you now and then at dumb things you might do, and help you enjoy the world of tractorin'.
The brand doesn't matter a whole lot. Compacts are generally very good machines. Mostly you want to find a dealership run by people who you feel good about and who are willing to spend some time with you in helping you make your choice.
I ended up with a Case from a dealer in the next town over primarily because they treated me so well and their tractor fit my body better than the Kubotas they also sold. The Deere dealer here was very nice, but the machines just didn't seem to be built for my carcass as well as the Case. The others had some features that wouldn't work well for me, like low hanging soft or breakable items that might get damaged in the woods where I spend a lot of my tractor time.