@Laura2592 First impressions always matter psychologically, I think. Most hosts who have control over what the outside looks like do try to keep it at least looking kempt, even if it's not anything fancy, I'd imagine. I know I make sure the entranceway is tidy, the paths swept or raked, the grass mowed, etc, when I have a guest arriving.
A lot of people aren't particularly observant, and may not be able to pinpoint the exact things that gave them an initial less than favorable first impression, but it registers in a general way regardless. ( I'm reminded of an upholstery client I had who has a vacation home here, that gets rented out when she doesn't use it, who asked me to pick out tiles, decorations, mirrors, etc. for her in her absence as the house was being finished. She said she knew what she liked when she saw it, but she had no idea of how to achieve a certain look- that sort of eye for decor just wasn't part of the way her brain worked. Hard for people like us, who focus on details to fathom.)
For sure not every host has control over the outside of what the entrance to their listing looks like. If it's not that great looking, hosts should definitely make that known in their listing description, just like disclosing other things a host can't control- traffic noise, neighbors with junked cars in the yard, or barking dogs. Much better to ward off the complainers than to make one's property sound absolutely perfect (which almost no place is- there's almost always trade-offs) and get complaints.
When mentioning the warts, I think that some humor is a good way to get that sort of thing across. Not only will it help the host not to wring their hands, afraid to mention it in case it loses them bookings, it can change the way guests might react. Instead of acting like it's something serious to mark a host down on, it makes it sound like something too silly to take issue with.
"Prince trapped in the body of a frog", "I created a silk purse inside a sow's ear! " or something along those lines keeps it light and sets the stage for realistic expectations.