Love the Nazi Home Owner Association, so very true! What I am seeing is a 'snow mold' problem on your lawn. You have some preparation to do before seeding. Removing all of the roots and debris, a little top soil, raked, leveled, ROLLED with a water filled roller...then seeding...
Another idea would be to call a grass spray seeding company. Very inexpensive. They'll come out and give you an estimate and instructions for preparation and then watering and growing up to your first virgin mow. Excellent. Next step up would be sod.
If your lawn was installed as sod in the first place this might be something to consider. It is easy, looks kind of complicated right now, but if your lawn was sod I'd look into replacing the dead grass using the same sod.
That sod company would also have lawn grass seed mixture to sell and I would trust their seed over Home Depot's any day.
Next year, do not fertilize with high nitrogen just before winter. That causes snow molds, red thread...lawn diseases. You don't want your lawn going into winter with freshly grown vigorous new growth. (Check out Dr. Earth's Lawn Fertilizer...this stuff blew me away and I KNOW lawns). Mow your grass no lower than 3 inches. 3.5 inches is better. Never mow shorter than 3 inches!! Big Big deal.
Use fall lawn fertilizer formulations only in the fall. Important to do but make sure the nitrogen is lower than the Phosphorus and the Potassium. Aerate once per year. Period. Soil test before liming. Water only when you see your footprints stay down on your lawn. That is when you water DEEPLY. Don't water again until you see your foot prints stay down on your lawn. This trains your grass roots to be deep, healthy and able to keep your lawn green during drought. Saves money on water bills. One inch per week is your goal. Water once per week, 1" or twice at 1/2" (measure using straight sided tuna fish or cat food cans).
If you choose to grow via seed you will be watering shallowly 4 or 5 times per day until that grass is ready to mow. Once you start mowing only water when the new grass blades stay down when you step on it. You are getting the new grass equal to the older crop's root depth and size.
Look for 'Professional's Choice' Grass seed for cool season lawns. That is the one I used in the PNW. Dr. Earth's Lawn fertilizer was so good I used it on all of my client's lawns. Costs more, you use 2 or 3 applications during the growing season versus 4. Slower to green but that is a good thing. It just makes healthy grass and lasts longer use a rotary spreader to apply seed or fertilizer.
Grass companies spray right to your edges perfectly and add a perfect moisture holding mulch just the right amount of fertilizer. I would call a local grass spray company for sure. They would tell you for free how to prepare your lawn to be 'over sprayed' or they would tell you sod might be a better choice or what seed to purchase. They test the pH of your soil...they give you a guarantee!
I just checked on your grass mixes in North Carolina. Centipede is common for warm season grasses, fescue is found in cool season grasses. Your pictures looked like cool season. I am so sorry, found an article for you on North Carolina lawn grasses.
NC lawns
Fescue with dormat centipede
More centipede
Centipede
