Fireplace costs

I finally got a chance to look into getting an electric fireplace (see Done Deal - basement tenant). I found out that a fireplace insert would cost $900 to $1000 depending on the size. There's no installation required - just slide the box into the opening. The price range is higher than I thought it would be. For that amount of money, I might as well get the brick wall fixed and use the existing gas fireplace. I'll get some quotes for the repair work and then decide which avenue to take.