Are you replacing the windows to black? This house reminds me more of a plantation home than farmhouse. I am not in favor of painting the brick. And I dislike black columns. I would look at sage/gray greens for the siding. and trim. Then the same a couple of shades darker for the trim & shutters. Beef up the columns (maybe cedar) and add some molding to them. Then work on the landscaping. I don't see this house done like your inspiration

Your home will be quite muddled if you add farmhouse features to that colonial facade with dentil molding. Perhaps you'd be happier selling it and buying a modern farmhouse. The new roof will be a feature for selling. Just do a great clean up, replace your lantern light with a larger one (1/3 the front door's height) and simplify your interior decor for photos to get it on the market.

Such a lovely classic brick ranch - FWIW i would avoid the (already waning) trendiness of the modern farmhouse and invest $$ in landscaping and styling the front porch

I agree with the above suggestion to beef up the columns and NOT paint the brick. The door is also too small. If you have the room to replace the single door with two taller doors, it would add presence to the entrance. If not, then add a plain pediment around it with the same effect.

Color expert Maria Killam has thoughts on the black and white trend:

https://mariakillam.com/how-the-black-trend-just-got-worse/

I would rethink your plan. Your house is not farmhouse, and there isnt much you can do to make it look like one, unless you have a really huge budget for a complete exterior remodel.

I was going to mention Maria Killam, who actually uses that "inspiration" photo as one of her examples of "10 best ways to screw up your black/white house". You can follow her on Instagram and read her blog for free.

I completely agree with the thought about not messing up your exterior. I suggest you read up and do some research on the style of house you have, before spending money in an attempt to make a gesture toward some other style of house which you don't have.

Here are some things I have learned in these forums that make that "inspiration" photo unappealing (to me): 2 different styles of roof? Nested gables for merely decorative purposes? the slope of the 2 nested gables and the porch gable are jarringly dissimilar; (as Maria Killam points out) "accent walls" on the exterior of homes is some new fad, which she thinks is unattractive (I do too); 3 different styles of siding on the exterior for no reason... and I'm sure the list goes on...

The thing is, your own house is very pretty, has traditional brick, and maybe you're ready for a change in the color. Good luck!

Julie, that’s a great article.

It reminds me of this old house in England someone painted black and white.

Just awful.

The current homeowner had it restored back to how it should be:

It’s beautiful and charming again. But … sandblasting is potentially very harmful to stone and brick, as well as very expensive. Definitely a labor of love.

Anyway, OP, I really hope you’ll listen to the very good advice others have given and not ruin this house for a fad. There are so many other ways it could be nicely updated.

hmm. OK, so modern farmhouse is not so hot ... I personally like it, but this is a rental property so I'm not emotionally attached - it's in desperate need of new paint so I have to do something, and would like something that's appealing to young professional tenants. Also, the house has some nice architectural features for a rental, so I would like to better highlight that.

I would love to widen the front door if it would add some functionality - like making it easier to move furniture in and out, but this is a duplex, and the front door opens to a little "lobby" with two equal sized doors to the two units - so wouldn't gain any function.

This blog shows the redo of a very similar 70s brick ranch to modern farmhouse - they did take a few more steps, but it can be done:

https://inmyownstyle.com/exterior-makeover-dated-ranch-to-modern-farmhouse.html

Anyway, I'm not attached to it, and skipping painting the brick would save me money.

So, any ideas for colors to give it a modern look for young renters?

Specific ideas for sprucing up the porch and landscaping?

Spend your money, having a landscaper draw up a plan for landscaping, that will be pretty, but, not a whole ton of work, for tenants to keep up. Once you get the plan, you can diy it little by little. Its what the house needs most of all. Maybe a couple of chairs on each side of the porch. Colorful ones, and a colorful table between them. Dont spend a lot of money on this, in case, renters dont take care of them, but, many renters will appreciate having a pretty front porch to sit on.

I don't think people are saying modern farmhouse isn't so it, they're saying it's not so hot for YOUR house. I agree with that.

Your exterior is quite nice already, why would you want to paint the brick? Don't sh*t up brick. It's virtually maintenance free -- don't ruin that.

A different paint color for the shutters and the triangular section above the porch and columns that really brings out the best in the beautiful brick you have is what is needed. Look for pics of houses with bricks that color to see what appeals to you.

Whenever I see a home with a facade like yours I think immediately of Monticello. Look there for inspiration. (No you don’t have a rotunda, but you do have the pediment, the windows, the red brick, the shutters, etc…)

Good luck and sure hope you won the lottery . IMO go get a housse that has some hope of becoming what you want the one you have not happening . Take that stupid oversized gable thing above the entry off and what you have minus the shutters is a nice brick MCM ranch change the wuindows to no grids and enjoy.

I would paint the siding and trim a soft sagey-green. I am loving that color these days anyway, but it looks really nice with brick. I totally agree with @cat_ky and anyone else who says to spend your funds on landscaping. I'd think about a pretty path to the door lined with some hedges, a couple trees to break up the giant expanse of lawn, and to soften the view of the house from the street.

Here's some examples of general ideas, though my thought would be to plant easy-care perennials and not high-maintenance flowers:

ok,

So your think there is some sort of reason the brick needs to be painted on a rental? Im very confused by that alone. Id be more concerned with those front steps, replacing the missing shutter adding a new front door, and please add some landscape. But if you think the brick needs to be painted for renters............perplexed. On top of it being a duplex, if you are painting the siding, Id look at sage green shades.

This is not a farmhouse. I would leave the paint colors as is and put the money into landscaping.