If you have the resources then you can sod it right now. If you are on a tighter budget then I would suggest trying to hang on until fall to seed it. Fall is the best time to renovate a lawn with seed. If you try seeding now you end up with crabgrass. If you want to reseed then August would be the time for you in your location.

Once you have an established lawn, about the only thing you need to do before April is to drop an application of preemergent weed control. That is done when the forsythia is blooming in your neighborhood. Then in April is the time to spot spray existing weeds left over from fall and winter. Memorial Day is the time for the first fertilizer of the year (nevermind what the TV commercials say). Labor Day is the second application of fertilizer. Thanksgiving or there abouts is the last fertilizer of the year.

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.

When it starts to grow, mulch mow at the mower's highest setting. That will help develop deeper roots.