Heat Pumps and Electric Heating - Furnace blew up...need help!

I want to get something that will provide heating and air in one unit, not sure of the best choice. In North Carolina, doesn't usually get below 30 degrees (except for this week!) and above 90 degrees. This is a single story duplex, no existing duct work, so I would be doing both sides. Price is of most consideration because I will have to install 2X!

Here are some initial options I was looking at:

- Heat pump - but I read that they don't get the place really warm? What is the best brand for the money?
- packaged gas/electric systems - do these work well? Price?
- Open to other options I might not know about...

As you can tell I have no experience in this area, need input please!

Your best bet is to go with a heat pump with auxillary electric heat strips. I live in Roanoke Rapids, NC and went with a Goodman heat pump with 13 SEER & 8.4 HSPF ratings. I am saving approximately $300 a month when compared to the propane furnace that existed last year in house. Goodman products are reasonably priced and are of good quality. I have to stress the importance of having your unit installed by a reputable company, because even the more pricier manufacturer products (eg:Trane) will not perform well if improperly installed.

You dont say how big this unit is??? You say furnace but no duct work???? So not sure what you have there. go to
http://warmair.net and compare fuel cost there. Yes a heat pump is the way to go most places.
Get 3 bids for the job, make sure they run a heat loss and AC load on the home. For the size system you need