what is on the ground right now? grass, weeds?

i have reseeded a few lawns before. my method was to use a dethatcher on a push lawnmower. a dethatcher looks like a mower blade, but it isn't sharp. it has a sturdy spring wire that scrapes the ground and pulls out grass and weeds.

using a rake would suck. try using a dethatcher instead. just run it for a little bit so that you can see how it works, then broadcast your seed then run the mower over it. the blade is less than $15 at walmart.