What maintenance does a house need in the first year?

• Clean the dryer's lint screen before or after each load (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission).

• Inspect the HVAC filter and clean or change it if it is dirty. ENERGY STAR says to do this “once a month” for a central air conditioner, furnace or heat pump.
• Press the test button on every smoke alarm. The American Red Cross says “at least monthly.”
• Test each GFCI outlet with its test and reset buttons. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says “at least once a month,” and after a power failure.

• Have a contractor check the cooling system in spring and the heating system in fall — ENERGY STAR's “annual pre-season check-ups.”

• Replace the batteries in battery-powered smoke alarms, and in carbon monoxide alarms at the same time (American Red Cross).
• Check the water heater's temperature and pressure relief valve. Montana State University Extension says it “should be checked annually.”
• Flush sediment from a tank water heater: at least once a year, more often where the water is hard (Montana State University Extension).
• Have the dryer vent and duct cleaned. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says “periodically”; HavnOS's default is once a year.

• Replace smoke alarms every 10 years (American Red Cross). The manufacture date is on the back of the alarm (Kidde).
• Replace carbon monoxide alarms every 7 to 10 years, depending on the model (Kidde).

The checklist above is the same for every house. Your inspection report is not: the roof repair, the missing GFCI in the garage, the water heater near the end of its life. Add those, hazards first.