I actually don't know much about EER star ratings at all. Interesting stuff, thanks!

I suggest the very first thing to do , would be to decide your budget and what you want to achieve , and to a certain degree what the suburb is like ? If it's the 'worst' house in an upmarket suburb , then $100K or even $200k may really lift its value , but if its in a 'cheaper' suburb , you may over capitalise . Like others , some things I'd look at -- -- Do the gardens , trim the tree , looks more like rank grass along the side of the driveway ? Maybe a white stone garden , with a Yukka ort similar . -- The concrete driveway looks 'drunk' , but that may be because of the shapes it was laid in ? Level it , take the front out to the street , talk to an expert about doing a one-run top coat of concrete . -- Remove the fairy lights , relocate the satelite dish . -- Personally , Id frame upwards on the top of the carport and lounge roof , and also the first floor roof , and put bright 25-30cm tall painted or powder coasted alloy panels -- cover the gutters and 'hide' the solar panels . Paint or coat them whatever colour you like , but I'd go for something like bright yellow or orange or red , mid blue , a crisp green ? -- Someone suggested brown wooden 'louvres' full-length over the upstairs windows . I'd be tempted to go with that idea ( buy 30mmx30mm pine , and a mid brown stain -- 6 or 8 'rails' along that upstairs on the side and front you can see in the pictures . Instead of mid-brown stain , a black/charcoal may suit better , especially if you go with those bright panels . -- Maybe a fence in the same 30 x 30 horizontal wood , same stain colour -- ties the upstairs to the 'ground' level ? Relatively budget , and can be done in several steps , but would 'lift' it no end IMO .

White kitchens are neutral, they go with everything, so I don't think they'll ever be out of fashion. The "dark recycled black plastic sinks" sound horrible, and this is the first I've heard of that trend.

Cute house, these little cottages are really great little homes mostly. They are just little. For best value for money I think you could make gains here.... Remove the awning. Change the verandah roof so it's more sympathetic to the house. If budget allows change out the carport skillion roof for a nice low gable. Paint the trims the same colour as the rest of the house. In a house this small keeping trims neutral will help it appear more substantial rather than pokey. Put a new rear deck on that goes all the way across the back of the house and is at least 3.6m wide. That will increase your living space dramatically in summer. Use a cafe blind or louvre roof to allow full sun in winter. The cafe blind will be cheaper overall as you may not need a DA for the deck without a hard roof structure. Depends on your area and council but in general certain decks without solid roof can be exempt development. Of course if it's a high wind area louvres will be better. Use freeform and oval garden beds in the front yard with a path that winds in between them to the front door. Adding informal interest to the garden will make the house appear more substantial and add interest and detail. The home is fairly plain. Use any style of planting that appeals, architectural foliage, floral, low maintenance etc. Just ensure you have nice varying heights and interesting foliage colour. A tall shrub or two would be good. The backyard is already quite shaded so either create a woodland garden or perhaps have some of the tree's out the back pruned to enable more light. Plan out your outdoor spaces, veggie patch, relaxation zone, fire pit etc and define them with plantings. Gravel paths are cheap and effective. I would also be inclined to create a euro laundry and steal the existing laundry space for your kitchen.