A front porch on that style of house would not be in keeping with the style and look a little odd.

JuneKnow above is blunt - but right in her assessment.

Keep looking for a home that has the features you prefer, like the front porch.

It is hard to find the 'perfect' home when the current inventory is so limited, but find one that has more of your non-negotiable features or adjust your expectations/non-negotiable features.

The service you are seeking - cost to remodel X in a prospective purchase is best left to local contractors after you are under contract with your top choice. Especially in this crazy market where remodeling costs are rapidly increasing and there are supply chain issues.

BTW, that home's exterior is very nice just the way it shows. The only thing I would change is the color of the front door but that is a personal preference.

You would be well served to make any purchase offer contingent on a study period during which you can perform due diligence on the home. This might include preliminary/concept plans as the basis for a realistic estimate of the cost to implement whatever changes you have in mind. That way when you find out how real world prices compare with HGTV land you can make an informed decision. You may be able to find a remodeler or design/build service which will do both and yes, please compensate them for their time and efforts on your behalf.

Thanks for the replies! I appreciate the feedback on the curb appeal, but taking into consideration the style of the neighborhood is a factor and this particular style is not only my preference, but also not fitting to the area. Unfortunately we did find a house that was more our style and fit our needs, but we were competing against at least 4 other bids. Houses like this are sitting on the market for a reason and so not only would we like to enjoy the house we move into, but we would like to make sure we can sell it when the time comes. I’ve done renovations in the past so I am well aware they are not like HGTV, but we see ourselves living in this house for a while and are blessed to be able to even consider renovations. Unfortunately inventory is very low right now and this is a new problem for us when house hunting. I’m frustrated and was simply looking for advice on the best way to go about getting a consultation prior to purchase. Thanks for your help.

Imho, updating the tired front landscaping to fit the style & proportions of the house would greatly benefit the curb appeal. The empty window boxes, lopsided tall plant on one side of front door, scrawny shrubs in front beds, oddly pruned shade trees, stark white trim & door color all distract from the stateliness and interesting lines of the house.

This is like dating and, on the first date, deciding you don’t like the way he slurps his soup, chews with his mouth open, and is rude and profane. “I can change him!”

I really like the exterior style of that house. Agree with the others maybe paint front door (black ?) , update landscape, maybe add shutters . If I were buying it I'd 'country french' it with rustic shutters and white mortarwash ! I could so see that house with a gorgeous mortar wash exterior!

In Texas the norm is to pay an amount for an option period in which you can do your due diligence such as inspections and other things that will help you decide on going with that house or not. Normally I would suggest using this period to do that work, but in a hot market you are likely competing against bids that won't make use of that option period. Further complications is that I'm sure you have to be quick with an offer so would need to bring whomever would help you decide on the first showing even though it may not be a house you're even interested in so you would need to pay someone for that time as well.

I think the person/persons that would work best in this case is an architect that has extensive remodeling knowledge and is used to dealing with contractors as they should have the ideas of what can be done or not and also have an idea of costs. However costs are changing quite often right now too so it is hard to keep up with the costs. Then you'd pay them any trip charges and their hourly fee.

2nd best choice would be a designer who is also well versed with working with contractors and remodeling that could do something similar to an architect, but depending on their skills/knowledge they may or may not have the same skills at making a house work. An architect at least has training in these areas and a designer would be based on their experience. Note I'm not saying a designer is not good as I know there are those out there that are way better than many architects too. Just that you need to consider these things when interviewing one to hire.

3rd would be to hire a contractor to go with you, but their design skills might not be there to provide advice on that end, or add a contractor and one of the above to go at all times.

ETA: Also make sure the general style of the person you hire is something that is along the lines of your style. Most can work with other styles, but also tend to have a certain style they work best with.

I have always found that back of the napkin math works. $10K here, $10K there. Before you know it, it adds up. Make a list. Over estimate. You should also rely on your realtor to advise you how much you can pour into a house with any expectation of return.

As an appraiser and former resident of this area of the country, let me opine that you will not get any money back if you build a porch. They are expensive to build and maintain. And, when I appraise the house, I can't give you full credit for your time, trouble or investment. This area is hard on exterior building materials, too. That's one reason why they use so much brick construction.

The one thing that you cannot change is location. Does this location work for you? Are you getting most your needs list?

My personal opinion is this is a very nice house from the front with loads of curb appeal. A new porch is unnecessary. The house already has a covered front entry area. I would be more worried about the vines growing up the side of the house eating into the grout between the brick.

I am confused about what you said about this house...is it located within a subdivision? Is the style of the house different from the others in the subdivision or is the whole subdivision this style and you don’t care for it? I’m not sure what the current house style in Dallas is (I always think of garish McMansion when I think of Dallas, lol)

To my eye, it looks like a home in an older, leafy area. Where I live, that is *the* place to be. That house, with its circular driveway and presence on the lot...would be snapped up in a skinny minute. I personally love painted brick, so I’d paint it a soft, off white with understated taupey-greige trim and door. But for people who want a bit more rustic look...you could limewash it and use cedar trim for around those windows, wood door, dark windows...

New landscaping, and this house would be featured as a “before and after” in Southern Living!