Perhaps as a shortterm prospect, you could concentrate on eradicating weeds and laying some kind of organic mulch down over the area to prevent the weeds from springing up and also feed the ground. I'm thinking along the lines of hay, pea straw or lucerne (not sure how much that might cost but out in the country you should be able to get a large amount pretty cheaply of something that will rot down over that time. Just concentrate a while on getting on top of the weeds. Then when you're ready you can concentrate on preparing the soil and planting grass (if you decide to go that way) without weed competition. Or you might find that having a mulched space and putting in a few trees or garden beds works better than grass.
I'm with marydean on this one - get rid of the weeds, and either mulch the ground or plant a green manure like peas/lentils. I'm pretty sure my brother buys supermarket soupmix (the mixed pulses and legumes) for green mulch. That will suppress the regrowth of the weeds and improve the soil, too.
Leave the lawn until you can give it the time it needs to establish (and improve your groung with whatever it might need to give it a good start), but in the mean time, decide on an area for annual vegies, and get those seeds in! Pumpkin, watermelon, carrots all grow with not much attention at all, and the odd watering. Plant peas and beans on the wall/fence for climbing (they need to be picked about 3 times a week once they're producing)- or for pretty stuff that climbs and doesn't need much attention, sweet peas or nasturtiums.
You're so lucky to get a chance to do something with the land before you move in! Good luck, and have fun with it!
For your tennis court I was thinking along the lines of passionfruit vines. They will cover the fence and you get lots of fruit out of it. I would be spraying the weeds now. As there is nothing there you want to keep you don't need to be careful what the spray touches. Then you could mulch and manure. See people who have horses and try to get any of their stable throwouts. It will combine horse manure and what ever they use to bed the horses down with. It might even be free For people on a tight budget you could always ask neighbours if they minded if you took cuttings from various plants. That way your only outlay is for potting mix and pots (bet you could get those for free too - the pots that is lol) Then when you are ready to move in so will the plants.
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