We also made the yard look a ton nicer and longer-lasting by doing xeriscaping, planting, etc.

Our sewage treatment plant reports they mess up their system as well.

Try this... build a much larger column base at the same height as the bottom of the stone, maybe tapered (bigger at the bottom) and made from a similar stone, with a much larger column (easily built onto the existing post) resting on top.Find a NATURAL, neutral-colored, plain stone or slate, and tile the raised concrete stoop.Paint the entry door a deep, very rich color that complements the brick.Then, the gable on the right with round-butt shingles (I think) needs a lighter color, maybe even a bit bright to complement both the brick and the entry door, since it extends over the stoop.Finally, taller greenery under the stone with a lower front level of varying texture and color (especially around the entry) will result in the stone being much less prominent.

Upgrade light fixtures, get a nice mirror and distract the eye with some bold staging items (towels, rug, maybe a faux plant). 

We know to order transitions with flooring, to make sure shower trim also has a shower valve, that new texture requires primer before paint, and a host of other things that come up every day for us, but aren't an everyday thing for you. 

There are only two times in life to plant a tree.

@David WaddletonHi David, just outside of Pittsburgh....the Tri-State area just recently figured out that there is more natural gas there than in the Middle East, and Shell Oil Co just opened a HUGE cracking plant.

Maybe it helped that they were taking care of the house while they were staying (mowing lawn, watering plants and trees, etc.)

The textures and colors are far superior.

You go down to the big box store and in the garden department, they will have big rolls of different grades of black plastic ground cover.Buy something with UV protection and lay that on the ground and cover with the rock you want, or with bark chips.Plain rock is pretty ugly, so you might want to add a few small beds of drought tolerant plants or cactus.Rock isn't cheap and it's hard work to get it spread without destroying your plastic ground cover.