Leave the stone alone. Either replace the roof or replace the bricks. Painting any of that is a halfassery that will do nothing but bite you hard.

I would not paint the stone. It's the best part! Painting the front door, replacing the garage door with a darker shade or wood look, darkening the trim, additional landscaping or hardscape. Those are things I would work on first to enhance curb appeal.

I would also recommend not painting the stone. The ideas above of painting the garage door darker and darkening the trim could help unify the red brick color. Or there is also the option to paint the brick, which would be much more successful than attempting to paint over stone. Keep in mind, however, that painting over brick is a much more permanent solution than replacing a roof/ garage door and re-painting trim.

here are some pictures for reference:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=painted+brick+ranch&view=detailv2&id=B4A01FB18B65336D4252336D50D99105536E755D&selectedindex=3&ccid=U%2Fxh651A&simid=608008490726591016&thid=OIP.M53fc61eb9d40a940a1e94e283391e93do0&mode=overlay&first=1

If you are wanting to add some curb appeal, I wouldn't start with painting the stone (or ever painting it). First, I would change out the front columns to large wood columns, with stone base that matches the rest of the stone. Then replace garage doors to match the wood columns. I would not match the garage doors to the stone color. The stone is eye catching and you don't want your garage door to do the same --you want that to blend in. I would also replace the lawn lantern with something fresh. After a few of those changes, hopefully you won't see the stone as a problem.

Yep! I'd do what Glo said with the posts if you can match the granite, but it will probably be hard to find now. Maybe use a coordinating charcoal color granite. Paint the garage charcoal and paint all the red brick light gray.

I would not paint the brick or the stone. Replace the iron posts with turned, white, wood posts. Replace the front door with a traditional style. Then paint it and the storm door frame a dark red ( not lipstick red) or a sage green. Remove the stone edging along the porch. Get a professional landscaping plan that you can add to over time if needed. Larger, curvy planting areas will soften the look.

Yes, replace the lamp post and light with a beefier one. The light fixtures by the door and on the garage should be larger, too. I would opt for a new patio set....lower table and more substantial so that it can be seen against the stone.

How about planting a few mid-sized trees, perhaps cherries? That would add three dimension to the whole picture. The colours in the house will work fine if you let nature play a bigger part in your picture.

Paint the ugly brick or render over it. Keep the stone. It's the nicest part. The red brick makes the house look old and dated.

The columns would look better if they were square and heavier; the scrolled wrought iron is very dated. Look at some mid-century modern houses for inspiration. You could remove the stone edging from the along the front porch and extend the space with pavers and gravel. I agree with the Pros that caution against painting the brick or stone. Reality TV never shows the follow ups, and repainting periodically is a huge expense.

When you get the funds and can do more than paint, the largest impact you will have is with landscaping.

Make sure you have an entire plan that you can execute over time. Decide first the style you want: mcm or do you want a more traditional look, for example. It will also depend on the zone in which you live.

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I would paint the brick a mid-tone to dark warm gray and, if the columns aren't structural, I would get rid of them (it's very possible they aren't).