Visualization drawings might be able to help you, look at my idea page perhaps we can help you.

Any possibility to move the front door?
Which one is it, by the way?

Hmm.. Just read in your older posts it's a multifamily home, so I guess both are front doors.

Start by painting the lower half one solid color. New stucco would be great, but I read you're stuck with budget restrictions, so one solid color would be a nice start. A greyed turquoise might be nice (I don't know what your neighbourhood looks like), like SW's Sea Salt. Paint the front doors coral red or teal for a fun beachy look and to make them stand out more. Keep the trim white. Garage door also Sea Salt or white. I can't see from the photo what condition the siding on the top half is in, but the sandy beige color looks allright. You could add portico's over the front doors for a welcoming look, or a full width overhang (mini porch).

Cute and cottagey suggests a robin's egg blue to me. If homes in the surrounding area are in more earthy tones, this idea will NOT work - you will stand out, but not in a good way!

You could try something like Ben Moore Gossamer Blue for the siding, Feather Down for the stucco, Jonesboro Cream for trim and garage door and secondary front door, and finally Earthly Russett for the MAIN front door.

These colors are just guesses based on what I see on my monitor. You will need to tweak, and pull the colors from your brick.

If these colors are a little too bright and "cottagey" for your area, maybe go to the more greyed out shades of the blue, such as Ben Moore Little Falls.

Some simple landscape fixes would be to place large flower pots across the front of the house - one in front of each plinth.

Also, a "hedge" of one variety of shrub in front of the sidewalk only (not driveway) would look good. Don't just plant a single row - do a double row, and stagger the shrubs in a kind of zig zag pattern. Give each shrub lots of breathing room. Space according,to their mature width. Most people plant their shrubs and trees way too close to each other, or to buildings, because they just can't believe those tiny little plants are going to get that big!

Another inexpensive upgrade would be to install barn style lights above each of your front doors:

Thanks for great ideas, the flat roof and three different sidings have me discombobulated. I found a picture that shows the house originally had shutters on the upstairs windows. I want to replace the oblong window on the first floor but it is a bed wall and houses an ac unit.

rinqreation I was thinking about taking up the concrete at the front and making a long pergola thingy covered with either vines or corrugated metal?

Pergola is a great idea, Mb! I wish I'd thought of that!

I'd go for light metal overhang on brackets. Looks like there's plenty of sun burning on these windows, so some shade will reduce AC cost.
And instead of shutters on the second floor windows, you could do little awning-like copies of the overhang (or a small roof extension!). It will dress up the exterior too.

what do you mean by a small roof extension...I cant really improve beyond 15 k or it will have to be torn down to elevate...but I really loathe that flat roof.

kevin strader thanks for the visual help...as you can see I need all I can get

I meant two similar overhangs, one attached to the roof edge and one above the front doors, both full building width.
Are you going to DIY?

this is a beach rental that cant be improved by more than now 20,000 and will probably be torn down in ten or 12 years. I have a friend who is doing some DIY and a laborer.. would love to make it look like your beachwood picture with a third floor or whitcomb with a full new roof extension.

Full width awnings (make that two wide ones) and some plaster&paint should get you far. Good luck.