To Paint or Not To Paint Exterior Brick Wall? -- Good Questions

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Q: Our house is a basic brick ranch fixer-upper, with a large addition on the back. I know that painting brick is an extremely controversial subject, but I'm wondering if we should go ahead and paint the brick [photo below] when we paint the siding (which needs painting anyway). We're on a corner lot, so the side of the house is very visible. I like the look of painted brick, and I think it would help unify the house. However, there's nothing actually wrong with...