It is all about working harder than the other guy and rooting out those hard to find deals, but there is definitely a great deal of opportunity here.

We are all rooting for you!

-Depending on the property you might need lawn care, exterminator and other misc stuff that is easy to forget about -Consumables: TP, PT, bar soap, shampoo/conditioner, laundry pods, garbage bags, coffee, coffee mixers etc add up. 

If your sewer line has old clay pipes you might find roots creeping in at some of the joints, so a camera scope would see this and  hydrojetting the line would clean the roots out.  

It's easily fixed but an expense much like any other roof, foundation, old knob and tube electrical or root filled old sewer line. 

Your concern of not paying too much for a property is rooted in what the property is 'WORTH' not what is owed.

I received a letter from the city saying that I am in violation of codes because my tree roots are pushing the sidewalk.

Roots in the ground are also hers to cut as she sees fit .

The roots are touching some part of the fence. 

If you close on the property and then discover the roof is leaking, the main sewer line is nothing but tree roots, really any major expense, that can easily put a borrower in a position where they do not have enough actual cash to solve the problem, so the property loses value due to deferred maintenance, or the borrower digs themselves into more debt, making it even harder to get another loan to cash me out of the equation at that upper 20% of equity.