You can dig any roots in your yard . 

My gardener went to remove a tree that was growing roots underneath the foundation, and when he sent me photos, there was cigarette butts all around the back patio and front of the house

Rooting for you. 

A tree root had grown into the sewer line which became an issue once I got renters in the property who were using the showers/sewer regularly.

There was some minor root intrusion at the very front of the property and this tracks with my service plumber who last came out ~2 years ago and cleared some roots when the back house was experiencing back ups. 

I don't know how planted your roots are in NY but it may be beneficial to go house hack in a more affordable state.

What you are looking for is:1. what is the line made of - PVC preferred (newer), cast iron solid, clay would be a major concern2. are there trees in the front yard with roots growing into the line.

Make sure you remedy the root cause before proceeding.

Higher salary, stipends etc with the ability to put some roots down and invest a bit so I would highly recommend getting into investing when you are in a better debt situation.

There is a reason they have such a large presence in the grass roots racing and drifting paddocks!