Dennis - Unless I missed it, you didn't say what direction the front of your house faces, and how much sun it got, that is, if it's sun is obstruction by tall buildings on the other side of the street. The other very, very important thing for you to think about, of which other Houzzers might not be aware is that Southern California goes through extreme water shortages pretty much every single year, and many areas are told to not water their lawn or do it only minimally for parts of the year. That should really inform how you think about landscaping. Admittedly, I do understand if you despise cacti and other succulents. But you might want to seriously think about eschewing live grass in favor of artificial turf. There are marvelous artificial turfs now that would fool anyone, certainly from standing height, and you obviously don't need to water it and think of all the $$ you save in gardener's fees, and none of those those pesky varmints rolling up the sod, either.! You can can still have specifically carved out flower beds, and trees and bushes with planned irrigation for those specific areas. Your area abounds with very experienced landscape architects. You want someone who has an artistic eye, and who knows hardscape and who is very familiar with the plants that do well in your area, and is familiar with the exigencies of life in SoCal and in your microclimate and can speak frankly with you about what you want to get out of your garden and how much work you are willing to put in to it. Do you sit outdoors in the front or the back? Do you want fragrant flowers on a trellis where you sit there or will a fragrance annoy the heck out of you? Will you sit outside in the morning or night, so do you need flowers that bloom in the am or bloom in the evening with colors that will be seen sell in twilight and at night? Do you want an herb garden for cooking? Do you want vegetables? Do you want several rose bushes so you can fill your house with roses, or other flowers so you can always have bouquets? Of course Dig Doug's designs look fantabulous as always, but note that his designs show significant hardscape changes to the front of the house. You might want to think about saving up some money for the hardscape work. If you get rid of the grass and put in artificial turf, you will end up saving a fortune of money on your water bill that you can put toward hardscape. If you have never owned a house before, you would not believe how much the water bill will be, and when you add in watering the lawn, holy moly!

I think it was the blue sky and the white puffy clouds that attracted buyers - those really are some nice happy house pics! Who wouldnt want to live there? Looks like there is some greenspace in back so the paved front really isnt as off putting as one might think from the first picture.

I know I am late to this thread but I have a few comments. The current plantings are too close to the house. Plant yours farther out. I'd remove the plant that is blocking the window. Sun loving plants will not thrive on the north side of the house. You do not need tall plants unless you prefer them. There are two Tradescantia that might work. Oyster Plant and Purple Heart. Purple Heart does grow on the north side of my house but I live in California. Oyster plant might need more sun. Your local nursery could tell you. What you need for the door is a full reveal storm door. Once you get it choose a paint color for your front door. Paint the door and the storm door the same color. Front door can be any color you like. If you are conservative just paint it white. I made a few images. Last one is Sherwin Williams Juneberry. It is my favorite but I know some people like less contrast. I almost forgot, I deepened the planting bed on the left; it was too shallow. If it were my house I would want a Philodendron selloum off the corner of the house where the shrub is now. Not in front of the window. I just happen to love them, you may not.

You can do a hard prune on the rhododendron and move it to the right side on your property where you need screening. I would create an enclosure of plants to hide the yard by sliding doors, because that is where most people who don't know better will go. Get a trellis to hide the trash cans. Maybe you can install an arbor over the garage door and extend it out to the steps. Extend the walkway down the drive after you create a rock berm to raise the height. Plant something eye catching to the left of the arbor. I think the deck would look better painted white.