further to the above, I found a bag of STA-Green lawn starter that was left by the previous owner. Should I use it?

Where are you located? Can you take a picture of the brown grass and post it?

If it turned brown directly after fertilizing, it sounds like it was over-fertilized. Or otherwise fertilized improperly. Working on that very reasonable assumption, you certainly don't want to fertilize any more!! Just watering very thoroughly and deeply a couple times should help.

I am in north carolina. Please see the pictures below. I have been watering it twice the past three days

Can you take a closeup of the grass - where it's still green - and post it please? Take it from about 4-6" away so you can clearly see the grass blades.

Hi

here you go

Thank you. There is no turf grass in the pictures, just a variety of weeds. I can't tell what the stuff that went brown was. Either the fertilizer that got put down was a weed-and feed that killed part of the weeds, or there was some turf grass there and it died due to lack of water. I'm leaning towards the latter as temps have been high in the past couple weeks. Either way, you didn't lose much.

What are you looking to do with it? Do you want a high quality lawn or don't care as long as it's green?

Thank you J4C11

at this point I just want green but eventually will go for quality..

thanks again

Ok, it should green back up as the weeds take over the dead area. There's some Bermuda in there, it's sure to spread and take over. Just mow every now and then to keep it neat looking. When you're ready to renovate let us know and we'll help out.

Great

are you in charlotte? What cost should I be looking at for a yard that is 0.45 acre

Well, if you want Bermuda just scalp everything as low as your mower will go, then fertilize the heck out of it this summer.

Start fertilizing after you mow real grass, not just weeds, for the second time. If you had rye then the bermuda will come in a little late...like now. But it doesn't make sense to fertilize dormant bermuda. That's why you wait for the second mowing.

You can use a herbicide like Weed-b-Gon or Weed-b-Gon Chickweed, Clover, and Oxalis Killer on it now.

If you decide to overseed the bermuda please wait until June when the soil is hotter. By then you will know if you even need to overseed it. Bermuda is pretty self sustaining once you have it, so I don't think you will need seed.

Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall.