I like the blue color and the wooden garage door. I would leave the ivy and plant two flowering trees like Yardvaark suggested - perhaps crepe myrtle. Terracing would be very expensive, and think of the maintenance. Even with stone work gardening on an incline is not fun. Also find some very modern and luxe house numbers. Make the window box and a couple of great pots the showstoppers. You can hook up a self watering system to these and they would look great and be low maintenance. I just did this last year and the inexpensive self watering system made it so easy.

We use the front door as an entry, it has a couple planets on it, I rant to decorate it a little bit more with a little bistro set maybe! I am looking for more budget friendly fixes currently since we are hoping for an addition on the back at some point and my husband does not want to put too much into the front, so if i can think of a good fix that's affordable then it's manageable! He is also amazing at diy and reno projects and my brother is a contractor so that helps!

I would not tack on some kind of modern glass and metal nor cable rails. This house is from the 1970s. Lean into that and don't try to make it something its not. Unless you use the deck a lot, I would remove it altogether and put a nice picture window in instead of the doors. If you use it, make it into a balcony with some nice bistro seating. Remove the stairs, put in some simple french doors, replace the rails with a simple metal design that is period appropriate and will blend with the rest of the house. Get some simple planter boxes and fill them with some nice annuals. I am seeing some red or warm colors. I also like the idea of a breezeway, pergola or some kind of covered walkway. Check out some of the MCM mass built houses in Palm Springs for inspiration. There are a lot of covered entrances to keep the hot desert sun off your head on the way into the house. Agree that the yard needs some landscaping help. Agree with some sculpted evergreens, Houses will tell you what they want to be. This is a loud, proud split level. Don't make the mistake that so many do and try to make the house conform to some trend or modern ideal. Let the vernacular of the house speak and enhance it with appropriate updates or restorations. I actually kind of like the quirky nature of this house.

Is the pine tree a concern? It is very close to the house. Lucky you, you have white birch trees. They would be my inspiration: white, black for the house Shutters gone...they don't fit the windows properly.