If you have a talented realtor and s/he is recommending painting it, give the people what they want. Paint it and get it sold.

I would paint the trim a lighter color and see about freshening the cedar. leave the brick. But the faded green around it does it no favors.

If you want to Try something a bit different and eye-catching, redo all the green in black (if you can, re-stain the cedar) . this is the color you want your cedar. look at it w/the black. beautiful.

or change the green to a softer white. replace the green awning and give the back fence a coat of wood stain. everything just looks 'tired'.

yes to landscaping. trim those bushes, all of them, in the front. you can barely see the house or the windows.

if you did it in the white, it would resemble this

here is the weathered gray,,but your home isn't quite this shade.

I noticed you have a Sotheby's agent. Are you sure your home isn't over-priced? The front of it looks fine to me, but if you are too high priced, it might turn off buyers.

I think white trim would maybe help but cleaning those shingles in the back would be a huge improvement .It will never be a Natucket style house even with painted brick I find it interesting so I would want to explore it a bit more. The back of the house is not attractive at all so maybe work on that. I find the part I dislike is the driveway in front of the house it makes the place feel like a hotel or commercial building. A nice wide walkway from the street would make a huge difference in curb appeal.All the bushes removed would help. I think you either do some work or lower the price so it reflects the work the next owner will need to do.

I’m so appreciative of all the great feedback. A few answers to your concerns.

The shingles in the front had been power washed and the rear shingles had not been washed yet. The entire house has been powerwash.

The house is priced 300-700K less than 8 spec homes that have recently sold within 1/8 a mile. It has more sq ft, much better waterviews and is made with high end materials.

Agent was not able to get any of the buyers of the spec homes to step through the front door.

It seems to make sense to put the money in to improve the curb appeal.

The agent is pushing for the white brick saying red brick is a total turn-off.

Curb appeal--agree with landscaping and colorful pots of flowers, repainting trim. Get new cushions on the lounge chairs or get rid of them. The back looks ignored and tired. Please keep us updated!

Theres probably a way to go for a grayed out, weathered look ... which would actually look quite handsome on your beautiful classic craftsman style house... but pls - no foofy white beachhouse look! The two styles are pretty much incompatible. Which is not to say you cant freshen or update the look.

Is that a historic house or new built to look historic? Im guessing the former cos rarely does new construction get all the details right. If so Id consult with or hire a historic house specialist for an agent - or at least post on the home buying forum for more input before doing anything drastic and irreversible.

If you really must change the brick color then it needs to be a mineral paint, aka silicate paint, which is not a plastic or oil paint film that sits on the surface and eventually peels off, but a breathable durable substance which chemically bonds to the masonry. It repels liquid but lets vapor pass through. This can be done as a semi-opaque wash or solid color. Since its made of actual mineral pigments (vs chemical colorants like paint) mineral paint has a subtle glowing beauty to it that regular house paints don't have.

Very common in Europe, but you might have to look for it in the US. Keim and Limeworks USA are two us based co's which can refer you to local people who can do the work. I

Perhaps I wouldn't feel so strongly about this if I wasn't now dealing with horrible spalling of some brick on my house that was caused by paint slapped on it many decades ago. The moisture gets trapped behind the paint and causes damage. You wont notice the damage overnight but give it a decade or two - you will.

I didn't find the listing on the agent's website. It needs fresh trim paint in whatever colors are currently fashionable in your area. Looks like white trim is fashionable from the other listings that the agent has on her website. The colors that were fashionable when it was built are irrelevant to buyers now, so don't spend your money on out of date colors.

The shrubs need a LOT of pruning. The shrubs under the windows should be no higher than a foot below the window sills. You many need to remove the shrubs blocking the entrance. The front entrance needs sprucing up with blooming flowers.

Please post an update after you've made your changes.

Thanks everyone!

Can the shake be painted the same as the brick? The cedar shake, green windows, and brick give off an early 90s vibe. I think an overall green-gray body color and off white trim with the green windows would appeal to more people. It's not my style per se, I'm just thinking of what sells right now.

Something like this, but with your green windows is what I'm wondering about.

Shingle style home drive court to entry elevation · More Info

I think it might look nice to paint all the trim in a charcoal gray, and stain the brick darker gray as well. As Beth said, the contrast with the natural cedar would be stunning. Paint the downspouts to match the cedar and brick color. Remove the green awnings. Be sure the landscaping is well trimmed and that the deck and railings and fence are all power washed as well. I would put away the lounge chairs and umbrella and just keep the Adirondack chairs with pretty pillows in each one. If they're faded out, give them a coat of paint or stain to freshen them up, along with the small side table.

The architecture of the house is beautiful and needs to put its best foot forward.

Thank you to everyone who has commeted with thoughts and ideas. From your responses I realize there is no consensus and I should probably bring a local professional to take a look and guide me through the options and decisions.

Im hoping one of you can let me know what type of professional should be looking for. Architect, designer, landscaper etc.

You might consult with an excellent staging company. We have one here in Portland that skillfully advises on these things. Hopefully you have a similar business there.

Thanks Benjesbride...unfortunately there are no such companies in my area.

You could contact them to ask if they do remote consultation. I've followed their facebook for years. They do beautiful work with great results. https://www.spade-archer.com/

Check out their facebook photos. I wouldn't leave this to any "designer." One designs completely differently to make a sale than to live in.

your listing agent pictured is in my market... i'm on the coast west of narragansett bay. you are indeed correct, people who have several million in their pocket want a new house and they want it to look like its on nantucket. everything else sells for a lot less. its tough to be us, but we have to soldier on with our lovely but not-nantucket houses.

we have a house for sale next to us thats just not getting foot traffic. it really is the right price... just not a lot of buyers looking. adapt some of the advice above, beyond that you need to wait, or drop your price. honestly i'd wait it out if you could. the southern RI real estate market isnt anything like boston.

I wonder how many won't enter because of the US flag. People are nuts over such things today, and they would probably never say that it was an issue for them, but it might be. Work with the color of the drive and the cobblestones out front. Stain the brick charcoal, paint the shingles lighter gray and then pick up white for the trim and windows. Landscaping is a big issue for me, especially around the pool. Remove the tired pool furniture, umbrella and awnings. Buy some replacements now while the end of season sales are on. Hydrangeas are a typical Nantucket bloom but it is too late for them this year. You can put some out for spring though. Hopefully, you won't be there to see them bloom.

I wonder how many won't enter because of the US flag

really?? "I'm not going to look at this home because the sellers are patriotic and American?" If that's the case, then I wouldn't want them stepping foot into my home anyway.

I get what you're saying, but buyers also need to put their own viewpoints aside while looking for homes.

it wouldnt be an issue with coastal new england real estate. even tho we're (mostly) all democrats, we (mostly) all fly the flag. actually, a house would look odd without one.

We all know that staging for realty is about putting the home in neutral mode and taking our personal fingerprints off of it. That goes for our patriotic fingers as well, sad to say. I wish removal of the flag would do the trick for you, but it won't. You'll have to make a much bigger investment of cash and time.