Another snake pit.

I think it is snake bit though.  

He hears thunder and farts lightning. 

Sounds like the snake oil is prevalent in the REI world as well. 

How to fix: you can either repeatedly apply band-aid fixes (snake the line with a blade that will chop through roots as long as they're not already too thick, and make it a recurring maintenance kind of thing), OR you can replace your sewer line.

In most areas your Board of Realtors has developed their contracts over time, mush has to do with the experiences and court cases in that jurisdiction.Those "consumer" covenants contained in a contract did not come out of thin air based on some bleeding heart Real Estate Broker, they came from findings in law, state court findings, attitudes and customs.RE Brokers are very risk adverse, they don't want any stone left unturned where that snake may be that can bite them.

I don't mind paying money for leads - we do it all the time in other areas, but in this case it feels snake oily. 

Snake oils salesman and gurus have always been here.

If you can’t close cash and it’s that competitive that leaves being the highest price and hoping a cash buyer (like me) doesn’t snake it due to better terms. 

In my current primary residence I have to snake the clean out a least once a month.