Congrats your house is really great! Just a couple thoughts:
if you remove the picket fence, see if someone else wants it. Some folks would die for a lovely picket fence like that. It begs for a cottage garden in front of it. If you google cottage style you will see what I mean. Basically a combination of colorful flowers and possibly shrub or dwarf roses. I would also suggest limbing up the tree nearest the entrance. Just removing the last 1 or 2 bottom branches will add sunlight and give better view of house in spring/summer/fall. One thing about shutters. The new (old) thing is to replace with real functional shutters or at least the size that shows they could be closed. This could be pricey but it so adds to the style/value of the home. Not sure if you get many storms there (probably do) but we had beautiful cypress shutters made for hurricanes and storms to replace the contractor ones when we lived in Louisiana.

Why, oh why do people plant trees directly in line with the front door? Not very warm or inviting! Of course, the cost of removing that tree on the left would be high--- maybe someone on this forum with more tree experience could suggest what to do about those two trees so close together. If you can't remove a tree, I agree that they could be limbed up.

I wonder what in what direction does the front of your house face? That would affect what can thrive in the front of your home.

How wide is the area between the front of your house and the fence? It does look as if removal of the fence would help open up the entryway.

Those two shrubs on the left do seem very tall. Do you know what they are? I'm also thinking that pruning those would help.

Molie

Congratulations and much happiness in your new home!

After seeing the second photo, I have to say I like the fence. That looks like quite a large front yard. The fence seems like an extension of the house, in a sense expanding its footprint on the lot and making it more significant. Louisianagal's suggestion regarding a cottage-style garden in front of the fence sounds appropriate, if that is in keeping with your taste. Don't feel restricted to traditional English plants - the same style can be achieved with plants native to your region; they'll be lower maintenance and will support beneficial insects and wildlife, and would echo what appears to be a rather naturalized setting - this would give your gardens/landscape what they call a "sense of place."

If the fence must go, (and please, if it's in good condition, offer it to someone who would like it) then I would concentrate some native plant gardens (carefully selected for year 'round interest) beneath those trees and in front of the house. Yes, those trees could do with a little judicious pruning to raise the canopy, affording a better view and framing of the house and better light for your plantings.

As for the color and size of the shutters, there are applications that will allow you to make those changes electronically to see which effects you like best.

If you do re-hang the shutters, don't paint them black! When the leaves are gone, that would not make the house appear inviting.

If you keep the fence, consider planting some bulbs in front of it. That will add some color before everything else leafs out in the spring. With the shrubs that are in front of the fence now, there are too many different heights and, to my eyes, it looks too busy. Whatever you do in front of the walk there, try to extend that look along the rest of the house, don't cut it off at the front door.

I concur with the previous posters about the cottage style, but don't use boxwood there, please! I concur that native plants are always a good thing. Consider something with fragrance that will attract beneficial insects. The bees are loving my garden now, and there are some honey bees there, too!

Jim

While I wouldn't purposely install a tree directly in line with the front door (as close as it is here) I could also live it. However, and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one saying so, it would be helpful to limb up the trees ... the low-hanging limbs add a sense of oppression and gloom. I also do not find the "Y"-angled low limbs on the next large tree an attractive configuration and would consider removing them. (But it depends on what's left, which cannot be seen in the photo.)

Though the fence itself is pretty, it is much too confining to use as a corral around the entrance. Besides confining, it doesn't help show off the entrance. I'd find another place and way to use it.

So far, that's criticism of what exists. For helping you develop what it should become, I suggest you add a picture or two or three, from the same distance away from the house as your second picture (with snow.) If you moved to a central position approximately in line with the front door and took pics that showed the house and space flanking it to each side, and in good light (where things are not obscured by dark shadows) it would be easier to grasp exactly what you have. If necessary, you could pan the camera (while staying at the same location) to show what flanks farther left and right of the house.

I very much like the trees as they are and disagree with the statement "it would be helpful to limb up the trees ... the low-hanging limbs add a sense of oppression and gloom".

In the summer those branches which appear to be at least 8' up soften the house. And the winter tracery is nice.

Great looking place!

I'd like to see a view from the driveway between the house and the fence. Measurements of this area also plus which direction it's facing.

I agree that the fence looks like a corral. It's pretty, but it looks very oddly placed. It seems better suited for a backyard, rather than guarding your front entrance. It makes your house look cluttered, and it's odd to have plantings both behind and in front of it.

The roof over the front porch looks like it's held up by toothpicks. Could you beef up the posts? I don't like the black wrought iron either. What's its purpose?