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Here is what I did to my daughter's and son-in-law's home site once the house was done. I picked up all visible debris then used a box blade and loader to bring the soil to the grade we wanted. The initial backfill work had already been done, but we opted for a little higher level on the foundation. I then disked the ground, picked up all visible debris that had resurfaced, used a box blade to fill any low spots, picked up any new debris, roto-tilled with a tractor tiller, pulled bed springs over it repeatedly to settle the ground and to fine it up some, picked up any debris, raked a little by hand, then we planted it using a motorized seeder from a rental place. The seeder was really built for overseeding a lawn, but it did a surprisingly EXCELLENT job on the bare ground. My SIL didn't add any starter fertilizer at any point, but personally I would have had it been mine. I would also have used a landscape rake if I had owned one. This would probably have eliminated a lot of the extra work from not having one. Be sure to settle the ground with water or a rainfall before planting. You may need to relevel some spots that settle unevenly. Now that I think about it, we pre-watered before planting, and a shower right after planting helped the watering situation. Water, water, water to keep the seed from drying out is key to proper germination. I would also recommend that you plant according to the prescribed planting rate. If you over plant it will fill in much quicker, but will ALWAYS require more water and fertilizer than if you let the proper amount fill in normally. Use extreme care when right next to the building so that a soft spot doesn't sink a tire and throw your tractor into the siding. I've not done that yet, but always worry about it.
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