Redid the backyard lawn this spring and learned a lot along the way. Biggest tip: get your soil tested before doing anything else, since half the "grass problems" people blame on seed choice are actually soil pH issues. Also invested in a remote-control mower for the trickier slopes in our yard, and it made mowing so much less of a chore. Found a solid review of one here if anyone's curious: https://emeraldlawnandturf.com/zipmow-review-game-changing-rc-lawn-mower-for-tricky-yards
Still a work in progress but already looking a hundred times better.