This is such a mishmash of several different styles, you could really go in any direction. I might opt for removing the brick or refacing it with a stone veneer. Have it go all the way up to the top of the first floor windows. Then I'd consider doing a vertical board/batten siding on top of the stucco, and replace the portico columns with something a bit more Craftsman-like.

Some inspo photos:

Note the contrasting paint color for the windows in the first photo. Will make them pop more.

Once that's done, you can put more greenery at the foundation level.

Hopefully one of our photoshop wizards will chime in. I wonder how it would look with the portico recentered to include the bow window and give the front more presence.

What is the structure over the garage? Is it a deck? Could it be removed? Assuming there’s access from the house, could it ube replaced with a window? It’s just a starting point, but I’d want the house itself to look right, even before I started picking paint colors.

It would help to understand what your budget is and how far you are willing to go to make changes.

The first thing that jumps out at me is that the original windows were replaced with what look to be budget vinyl replacements with large single panes of glass. That style just doesn't work for the house. If you look at the pictures posted above, you can see how much nicer the windows look with divided panes. You can experiment for yourself to see how divided panes would look by taping a grid pattern with white tape on the inside. That's not a permanent fix of course - just a way to actually see how much that would improve the overall look of the house.

The second thing that jumps out at me is that the pressure treated deck does not look structurally sound. There's a pronounced dip in the support beam and the column on the front right, aside from tilting precariously, looks woefully undersized. And let's be honest, it's not attractive and in fact massively detracts from the house. For safety reasons that should be torn down. I think with that gone, the house will already look significantly better.

Definitely get rid of the balcony/deck. It doesn't look like it belongs and looks unsafe. And either fill in the door or convert it to a window. What is your budget? The house is lacking in architectural style. I think you need to determine what style fits the best and proceed from there. It does lean traditional. Maybe colonial revival? American foursquare? I don't get a craftsman vibe from it as others have suggested. Do some research, and once you decide what its style is, you can look at more pics of that style and determine what your house needs. Or tell us what you found out and see if someone has more ideas.

Remove the deck, flagpole (it's bent), short walkway railing and all the front plants around the front walkway. Pressure wash the concrete driveway and front walkway. If you have the budget, upgrade the windows and front porch supports. A new paint job and new gutters would work wonders.

Some minor changes

It would be impossible to answer that question without knowing what your budget is. Figure out how much money you have to spend on this and then come up with a plan. Least expensive is paint and landscaping. Most expensive would be centering the front door in the center of the home.

Yes, that deck over the garage appears rickety. I'd remove it and possibly add an area as below - something that would go with the style of your home. Adding some architectural details around the windows is needed and consider removing that portico over the front door....Best Wishes!

I did some searches on Houzz. I looked at American Foursquare, Colonial Revival, American National (gable front), and American farmhouse (gable front). I was searching for houses that have a large front gable like yours does, and there were some that I thought might offer inspiration. I'll try to show them at the end of this message. I think that at the very least, you should follow the advice about demo'ing the deck and flagpole. Paint the stucco white. See about some traditional trim around the windows and paint it a color that will tie in with the brick. Or look into awnings for them.

Some more....

And some more....

Paint the entire house as one the back wing looks like another color. Add painted colorful shutters to the top right and left windows. Center the portico to the bottom middle window, get a garage for with square windows at the top. Using the same colors of the shutters. Change the entrance to the middle of the home, and make the bottom right entrance a window. Add a colorful found flower bed in your lawn. Under the bottom of your windows add larger shrubs.

Even if the homeowner has a very generous budget, without knowing the internal layout of the house, relocating the entrance might not even be feasible. There are many, many other more practical and cost effective options worth pursuing regardless of budget that could make the house charming.

NancyD - I'd say that's an outstanding start. The power of color to transform is amazing.

Darker color on the stucco that works better with the brick would be my first project. After that, if the deck is going to remain I would paint it the same color as the rest of the house so it doesn't draw the eye to that area as much. If you're interested in seeing some virtual makeovers of your house check out my web site, Creative Visual Concepts.

Nice - Kevin.