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Welcome!
$4k is a healthy budget for starting out. I'm sure there will be other, more experienced voices to listen to here, but I think an equatorial mount capable of astrophotography with15kg or so on board is a good idea. And if starting out mostly visual, I'd recommend going for aperture so that you'll actually see something when looking for deep space targets.
With that in mind, how about a Skywathcer eq6r mount for 2600 or so, and an 8" F5 Newtonian with photography-ready focuser (800 or so). Then you have some cash for 2 or 3 decent eyepieces, one high power for planetary, and detailed moon observing, one wide for fun sweeping and maybe a zoom to cover the gap?
Whatever you get, you'll want an equatorial mount so you can take photos properly when the time comes, and they require a little bit of practice to get right, but it will be great and I can only assume your skies will be pretty awesome!
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