What changes would make a big enough impact to help it blend in more with the neighborhood?

You will need to show some of the neighborhood.

I see potential, and lots of $$$ and work.

Hard to comment on what will fit in with the neighborhood, but I see what looks like a back door with no path to anywhere and rather sorry-looking awnings on the lower windows. You could put in a porch or pergola along the whole side of the house. If a pergola, plant something pretty on it. Add a path to somewhere and some foundation plantings.

I don’t have photos of the exact houses nearby, but they are mostly new builds or renovated similar to these..

In general, buying the worst house in a neighborhood is a good bet. Over time, a few upgrades and some landscaping will make the house look pretty good. Not like a new build, but not the sorry-looking thing it is now. That said, get a really good inspector. It's worth it. You want to KNOW everything that's wrong with it. We've done that twice. The first time, we didn't buy the house. The second time, it told us the worrisome stuff --- like signs of water damage in the basement ceiling --- was almost certainly from long ago. (The basement ceiling is a complete mess of wires, pipes, patches, etc. The water damage isn't noticeable as a blemish.)