You don't need a designer for this....only some suggestions :-) And they come free here!!

AFA the landscaping goes, you do not want to do much.....new owners almost always will redo the landscaping to their personal tastes so don't waste the time or money in a big re-do. Just make sure everything is neatly edged, properly pruned, completely weeded and with a fresh layer of mulch. If you want, a couple of containers with colorful annuals can be placed by the entry to brighten things up (after you prune back the overgrown hedge plants).

What you want to do with stones? Paint or leave as is? I would replace posts with wooden/cedar ones, you can use wooden color for your fence as well.

Thanks celerygirl ! I was thinking of just putting a natural wood post in the front, remove hedges, and then paint fence the same color and get a matching front door. Really bad with colors (partially colorblind) which is why I'm looking for help. For the stones - we tried washing them and doing an acid wash to reduce the color in them. I don't think they will hold paint too well so would like to leave them alone. I was trying to find a paint color that would match with the color of the stone. I could provide better pictures of the stone if needed.

I'm not a landscaping expert but the few things I would suggest are painting the garage door to match the siding. I like the color as is-I think it looks nice with your stone color, I would replace the two posts with 6x6 wood posts. I think they would be pretty in a lighter wood stain the same color as you stain the fence. I would also remove the large shrub in front of them to open up your entry and make it feel more inviting. Then plant some pretty annuals there for summer color. As far as the front door, I would consider something with some glass. Your entry sits far enough back to be private and I bet it would help let some light into your entry. I think something like Cabot Amberwood or Honey Teak would be a nice match with your stone.

Thanks gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) . We actually thought about pulling all the shrubs/hedges out to open up the front of the house. Then put a bed down in the front. Nothing more drastic than that :)

Live shrubs will always read as more appealing than bare mulched beds :-) Just make sure they are well pruned back to an appropriate size - most shrubs will take that sort of treatment with ease and will fill in nicely in the time before you put the house on the market.

What decoenthusiaste said!

Hey decoenthusiaste here's the front door area and a better look at the row of hedges from the side. It's interesting to hear that nobody is recommending painting the house. To my eyes, that off-white with the light pink gets washed out in the Texas sun and makes the house look really bad from the street. I was definitely expecting to get advice to paint with some more modern colors. But maybe it doesn't match the style of the house.

I would definitely pull out the shrub on the side and add some pretty annuals for color. I would power wash the concrete and stain it with concrete stain. If you want to paint, look for a deeper cream or light khaki that you pull from the stones. You might take a look at SW Pacer White or Relaxed Khaki. I would do a full glass front door with rain or seeded glass for privacy.

It looks like the siding pant color may be matched to the mortar in the stones. I think that is a good direction to go to eliminate the pink. Paint the garage door that color too. I'd eliminate any pink tones on the exterior. Now that I can see the posts and railing behind the hedge, I would eliminate all of that (and the hedge) and replace with one big square post on the corner. A pretty flower bed should replace the hedge. So, match siding & garage door paint to the mortar and paint the trim a creamy white. Then replace the front door with something more updated. I would paint it a color that is a couple of shades deeper than the orange/rusty looking stones so it will stand out from the dark interior entry. I agree that power washing the concrete there and staining it will be an upgraded look. BTW, is that window frame inside the entry in need of a touch of paint. Looks a bit chipped. You are in desperate need of a ceiling fixture that lights up the door. Maybe a simple can light that is adjustable to focus the light on the door.

take another photo from a little further into the street so we can get a full house view all in one picture. You'll get better advice and responses that way!

If I was buying, there's nothing about your house now that would put me off, just as it is.

So far, the worst, most offensive things is the hedge that barricades the entrance to the cave. It's gotta go. Trim the hedge below windows to at least 6" below the window sill, dead level. It'll immediately grow right back to the will but with less smothering look. Give better shapes to the shrubs at each end of the hedge. And better shapes on the mailbox shrubs. Plant some colorful annuals by the entrance.

What I don't like about the paint scheme is that it's fairly monotone. If trim and pediments were white, it could pop against the stone color. A lot of people go dark, but to me, it's not cheery. Instead, it's usually somber or gloomy. A classier garage door would be nice since it's front and center.

If where the plant should be filled out there is nothing, then there is nothing at that spot to trim off. (I mention this because I see people following an existing shape and instead of remaking it into something better, they just follow it's form, cutting off a little something everywhere.)

Agree with Yardvaark. Those hedges do put off buyers because the barricade effect is the opposite of curb appeal to many, many buyers (I'm a Realtor). Landscaping is one of the best things you can do to enhance your home's appearance, along with cleaning the roof, walkways and windows.

In particular, remove those hedges along the front walkway. Then put in something lower to the ground, loose, and colorful. I don't know what plants to recommend but your local nursery will know (not HP or Lowes big box stores). Follow the ideas of Yardvaark for your landscaping.

If you paint the garage door to blend in with the surrounding stone on your home it will recede a bit.

Also paint your front door an accent color; right now it has the dark hole effect.

I would repaint the gable ends and siding to a darker color. You might need a color specialist to help you with that - and Sherwin Williams has an inexpensive program with a color specialist that can help. You might also try researching for color specialists in your area.

Contrary to what others have said, many buyers don't have the funds or the time or knowledge or skill to change the landscaping when they first purchase your home. They spend months settling in and working on the inside (typically). A few do have the skill and knowledge, but that is the exception and not the rule. Many buyers will pass over your home if they have to do work. Changing out the landscaping is considered work. Those on Houzz are not your typical buyers at all because they are more willing to make extensive changes to their home and yards.

Thanks @Denita! I didn't realize Sherwin Williams had somebody who could help with color. It's one of my main weaknesses due to colorblindness. I'll check in with that to help flesh out @Yardvaark's idea to make the trim pop. That's the biggest criticism I hear from people is that the colors all blend together and nothing stands out.

@Yardvaark - thanks for the info! A couple questions:

* Any thoughts on just tearing down the whole mailbox thing (stone and shrubs) and putting something else in?

* Any thoughts on a better garage door?

Thanks again!

"Any thoughts on just tearing down the whole mailbox thing ..." Admittedly, it is a pretty crude example of masonry. And a classier one would be a better look, since it's front and center. But then, you'd have to get a just right one for it to make a difference. The only reason to change now is to add a magnetic appeal, since no one is going to not buy the house on account of the mailbox. Any planting around it should be simple, not busy ... so just one kind of plant.

" Any thoughts on a better garage door? Yes ... get one! Truthfully, I don't care for many of the suggestion of my fellow forum advice givers when it comes to garage doors and think many of them look gimmicky and are likely to end up in the future being classified as a mediocre fad of this period in history. But your door looks cheap. It's also front and center so would be a good thing to make look better. How to describe what it would look like is tough for me because I don't have a good picture of available ideas for them in my mind. However, I've noticed that garage doors with a bank of rectangular windows in the top panel always look better. I've seen some with lots of glass or all glass (like the fire station doors) that also look great but one would need an immaculate garage for that kind. I prefer doors that coordinate with other trim on the house ... not those painted darker. I think a main problem with door appearance is that there's so much blank space. So having some interesting details of some kind help. Large wrought iron looking decorative strap hinges, carriage door handles, or even a pattern of large rivets are all things that added personality to garage doors without looking crazy. Whatever is added must be compatible with the overall home style. Search Google Images for decorative garage door hardware and see what you come up with.

Per the porch posts ... I don't think I dislike them, but would need to see with the hedge out of the way. If they were white, maybe fine. The panels that flank the windows ... I'm not sure what those are. If they're shutters, they need a new color scheme. If they're architectural panels, maybe ditto. What are they?