Also, I can barely make out the front door. That looks like a non-orginal style update; yes?

the roof line running down the side of the house is sagging under that dormer too. Might do to have the problems looked at by a professional.

HI -- How exciting ,your first home , congratulations ! The porch railing looks wrong ,the one there is for a deck and it looks too high . I think I would fatten up the posts and add proper porch railings (spindles ) with a sturdy wide top cap and filled in solid steps with railing sides . For the header if you put a big flat trim board section ( maybe 12 inches ) across and around side by removing several rows of that siding , then you could have the address numbers in script front and center . That would be done by a sign company just like if it was a store . Then the whole house could be white . But I think I would do the siding a pretty ocher yellow with the window trims being white same as porch and then have dark shutters either in black or a navy . Then have a red door . That front door is not original ,-looks standard hardware store . Maybe look for an antique door with an oval textured or stained glass feature . Either have that in a restored wood finish or painted . Paint the porch floor a grey and the porch ceiling a light blue .Then this house will look like a farm house style again.

Dan, yes, they completely butchered the character in the front of this house! it drives me nuts! The part that I really don't like is the wide band of siding right above the porch, it just looks bulky.

Being an old house the roof is sagging (but totally stable and sound!) I think what draws most attention to that front line is the fact that they only put a gutter above the doorway, which we would change. and yes, a new front door is definitely on our list as well.

The "header" solution is indeed a big wide board trim across where they carried siding down through the trim area. . though I would order something cedar so it lasts, and long so there is only one splice and wider that 1x12 - 1 x 16 with a pencil detail below and a cornice above is the right answer - across the front and around the side just to the back of the porch.

You have tapered posts that are gorgeous and whatever post on the inside /stair end of the railing you select should match that wonderful detail . This new trim board should be painted the same color as the posts. I suspect there used to be posts to hold the porch roof up that matched the outside posts - you may be well advised to replace them to deal with the roof sag issues.

Someday you will need double hung windows (upstairs, everywhere) with muntins at least on the top half - even vinyl performs better than aluminum thermal insulation wise, and those are not as expensive as clad wood windows.

If the siding is off white, do not add a whiter white color to the house trim. If your trim is not a contrasting color, then it should match the siding off-white. If you are ready for a change, paint your front door a lovely red tone - bm maple leaf red comes to mind . . http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/mapleleafred
but you should look at swatches next to the brick foundation elements - not to match, but to see that the tones don't fight.

Lattice under the portch is going to deteriorate in the snow, so you would be better off with some cedar 2 x2 that you build a square screen with and hang that up so you don't have to do it again but also so it is square . . . lattice isn't quite right here - it is more of a victorian detail. But the big thing is the porch railing and the facade trim and then eventually your windows. If I am only seeing storm windows and you have historic wood windows behind these winter wonders, please write back. Windows are the sould of a house and getting those right would do a lot for you.