Large pots of seasonal red and white flowers such as geraniums or petunias for the porch. It doesn't need anything else.

I would paint the front door and replace the current seating with colorful chairs.

If I had a porch that low, I wouldn't want a railing at all. The wide windows are not appropriate for shutters; they should be able to actually close and meet in the middle of the glass. Landscaping should take care of it plus use an arborist to prune/maintain the health of your trees if necessary, nice backdrop.

A path to from the street to the house would make it instantly more inviting. Whatever you do, keep neighbors' views in mind. :)

I don’t think the house itself needs anything. It just looks sad because there’s no real landscaping around it. Add some nice planting and you should be good. (Maybe some different hardscaping? I can’t really see a path to the front door in the photo, I think to look inviting you should be able to see the way to the front door. Might be just the angle of the photo though.)

Where is this located? The landscaping doesn't say "Beach!" to my eye. A new landscape will make a big difference, but maybe not, depending on location.

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I agree landscaping will make a huge difference.

Nice house. A beach house like that here in Southern CA would be off the charts! Not exactly inexpensive away from the beach, either.

What jumps out the most to me is the lack of any trees off of the corners of the house which help to frame and give it a protected look. (The flat pancake tree is not going to cut it.) Also,, there could be street trees depending on the overall amount of room (which would show up instantly in a drawn-to-scale plan.)

If your climate is right for it .... nothing says the beach like a few palm trees.

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Just walk through the community and see what works on other houses.

Visit the local garden centers for ideas and for plants hardy in your (?) area.

I wouldn't add shutters or a porch rail. I would give the door a bright beachy color, but otherwise the house itself is fine.

The landscaping needs redoing since the low, amorphous mounding plants currently there do nothing for the house. You haven't given us any location other than beach, and IME what is considered beach plantings varies considerably around the country, so what is planted in the Bay Area is different than FL or VA or New England, both in style and in what can actually grow there. So we really need a bit more information to be helpful. Or wander around the neighborhood or other nicely panted neighborhoods to get a feel for what is used in your area and what you find appealing.

Someone upthread mentioned consideration of the neighbors' views. Is this an issue with tree size or are neighbors upslope enough for this not to be too much of a concern?

On Cape Cod, hydrangeas are a common mass planting that is simple and effective. You could use a long-blooming type like 'Tuff Stuff' which in my garden blooms from early July into the fall, though it either needs adequate water or afternoon shade. Less fussy about water would be one of the small Hydrangea paniculata cultivars such as Bobo, which has white blooms that turn pink over the course of the season. Underplant with a flowering groundcover.

i would also move turf back from under the small flowering trees currently there, perhaps crabapples or cherries(?). Then they wouldn't have to be pruned to that odd flat bottom that allows mowing under it. Instead, mulch and plant an evergreen groundcover below.

Think about the seasons that you will be at the house if it isn't a full time residence, and if you won't be here in spring, don't plant daffodils and other spring bulbs. If you will be here into the fall, consider plants with colorful autumn foliage, and winter residence will require some evergreens, including perhaps some with foliage that isn't actually green for variety. Will you be doing the maintenance or will it be hired out? If it's a full time residence where you will do the maintenance and you enjoy gardening, there will be a different emphasis that one that is only used part time or maintained by a service where ease of care is a priority.

I used mass plantings of hydrangeas. I just looked it up and Long Island is in planting zone 7, but they warn to check your specific area. So the muhly grass will survive (pink) and so will the azaleas.