First, congratulations on your first home. It is very cute.
I agree with suggestions above. I have a few more:
-The brick looks like it could benefit from some cleaning (as long as the method used is safe for the mortar).
-Second the awning is very old, not very attractive and could probably be removed.
-Another thing you can do is some landscaping and you might add large a potted plant or tree to the porch.
-the two white chairs that you have kind of disappear against the the white windows.
I would do small steps before anything larger. In fact you may want to just enjoy your house for a time.

sorry this posted before I was going to add some thing about looking into teak chairs to add wood accents to replace the white chairs.
but I wouldn't rush to do anything yet. When I bought my first home I did a whole bunch of and bought a whole bunch of stuff in the first six months that I ended up not really even liking or needing in the long run.

Pick a gray from the roof and paint the siding.

Remove the awning.

Add black accents with the black railing.

Door color TBD,

I would remove the awning, add larger lights and much bigger house numbers, as tracefloyd suggests. Leave your siding alone. You might need to refresh the trim paint around your windows and doors. Crisp white. It looks great with your brick. As others suggest here, do focus on the easy things first. I would tame the thicket that is growing in front of you home. Those shrubs should be removed and replaced. I could see 4 black Adirondack chairs on your porch, with little tables between them. A nice door mat. Think black accents to go with your wrought iron railing, too. Keep it simple. Congratulations! Enjoy your new home!

I would never do gray on that house . Yes the awning needs to go if you need heat and uv protection get a oar shade for that window. I like a sof sage or gray green with brick like this colorPlease post a pic from further back so we can see the ehole front yard too. Post here in a comment DO NOT start another post .I think even doing the trim and the door in the green would work BTW. No shutter if even remotely a modern look is what you want .

Okay sage green siding, not gray.

I think achieving a modern farmhouse effect couldn’t take place without some major changes. If you haven’t already poured over inspiration homes, look for features that you love and would be possible. Items already mentioned are great and how you address your front door will have a big influence. .

It's really not that bad - it's a cape, it's never really going to be modern farmhouse, but that's OK. That doesn't prevent you from decorating inside in modern farmhouse style. You will appreciate the brick over the years as it doesn't need to be painted periodically. I would change the metal railings to white pickets which would give you a homey look. I like the white siding with the white window trim. You definitely do not want to add shutters. You don't even have room on the window to the left of the door for them, and they're not done on double windows. I think a new storm door and better landscaping is going to be the biggest bang for your buck. I don't know what the degree of difficulty is going to be for changing the railing if it's imbedded into a concrete base.

I agree with kandrewspa, your house is a cape on the outside and will never be anything else, so decorate the inside. I do disagree about adding white pickets around your porch; pickets are for a fence, not a porch railing. You could paint your wrought iron railing white, and I would leave the white siding and trim as is. A roof over your front porch would give it a more country look, but I don't know your budget.

If budget permits, maybe a full porch on the entry side, with front and back columns at the ends to make a visual "gateway" for visitors? And maybe place both rockers together at the left end (not shown) as an inviting destination for conversation? I would also be inclined to remove the awnings (also not shown), unless you really need them for sun control. They don't really fit the look you're after. I'm assuming the hedge along the retaining wall has been recently pruned and will regrow? (I helped it along.) Great home!

I can’t thank you all enough for your wonderful input and ideas! I’m a visual person and seeing your mocked up pictures really engaged my mind to see what’s possible here! I do agree it will always be a cape cod - but I like the idea of larger porch lights, numbers and adding black pieces on the porch along with a new front door. I will start working on these now! I did paint the railings black when we first moved in last July (they were white and rusty/chipping).
I also loved seeing the porch with a roof overhand and columns!
I was nervous removing the awnings and not replacing with something would leave the front looking more bare- but I see now how nice it will be.
The front landscaping is another issue I feel overwhelmed with and not sure where to start. Because the hedge wall does add so much privacy to the yard- the front end where it was dead is struggling. I can upload more photos. Should I make a separate post for the landscaping ?
Long term I am going to replace the retaining walls with a more natural stone to get rid of the brick on brick look. But short term just not having crappy hedges is my goal. I obsess over parts of the house I want to improve and can’t relax until things like this are done.

Thank you all again! I can’t believe the amount of effort you all put into helping me - I will post updated pictures of the front as I complete throughout the next few months.

Great house!!! Congratulations!,🎉🎊🍾 what a nice big front porch. You are probably broke after closing, but any thoughts on redoing the front so the porch has a roof? The black railing detracts a bit from the house.

Yes! I hate the front porch - it feels like a big bald concrete slab IMO. I’m going to get pricing after the holidays/new year! The railings are another PITA because they go all the way to the back of the house as well - and they’re all mounted in the concrete. In the next 2-3 years I’d like to replace with a more modern railing. I repainted them bc they were old and chipping and the white really accentuated the Italian flare. Thank you 😊

I think window grills would enhance the look, as in Maureen’s picture above. Enjoy!

As requested here are more photos :
In addition to the front porch (which I thought could be my undertaking since my husband is busy with the upstairs bathroom at the moment) other improvements in the works are :
Short term:
• the back balcony with steps - steps to be removed (which is why I didn’t paint) and new railing and trek deck to be installed. I have 3 (soon to be 4) small children and do not want stair access to the second level/bedrooms.
•the hedges in front and on side
•white stuff on brick
Long term:
•replace retaining walls
•replace railings
•replace basement windows
•replace windows

Thanks for the additional photos! I actually love your brick retaining wall. It just needs some TLC. The front shrubs look scraggly compared to the ones on the side of your home. How charming!!!! One step at a time. Focus on your house, first. The greenery can wait. At most…remove the most scraggly in the front door area to open that space up. Mulch can cover a multitude of sins until you are ready to invest any time and $ in that area. Especially with small children AND interior work. Keep it simple. Less is more. It is a marathon, not a sprint. And…enjoy the journey of home ownership!

What about an awning for the front door? Get a stripe scalloped fabric -- keep the existing metal awning up top -- but paint it in the same pattern to match. Something like this:

Congratulations on your first home.

What I'm proposing is a bit much, but if you are open to painting the brick you really could do something great with this home. Also changing the location of the entry stairs and railing to a more modern style will go a long way with enhancing the curb appeal.

The overhang changed to black metal or black asphalt tile helps to tie everything together. Hopefully these help. If you have questions definitely. Good luck!

However the most extreme measure will be the decision to paint or not to paint.

I love the look of white brick homes! You really brought the thought to life thank you for your thought !! Atm I’m afraid to make such a permanent change - but I do love this idea for the future ! I never considered changing the entrance to the porch - that’s a great idea! Everything here is concrete which feels so permanent - but everyone is helping me see past that and what can be done to make it feel like my own! I really appreciate the drawings and feedback.

You're welcome!  I love a white brick too.

Again congratulations and good luck and creating an amazing home!!

Wow, great home!!! I also thought of doing a front staircase, but…$$$!!! Is this your “raise a family” house? With small kids, what are your priorities? I think some tweaks to the front can better the curb appeal with breaking the budget.

congrats! what a Lovely home ✨ i can totally relate to the landscaping feeling overwhelming - one thing we did was have a professional landscaping design done but then we installed it over time ourselves - we made a lot fewer mistakes bc everything was right for the sun/scale - just an idea

Your home is absolutely charming! Take your time in making changes and start with items that won’t break the bank. Congrats on your lovely home and your soon to be addition to the family!