Although the blades on the snake are sharp, when you plunge into a massive ball of roots the blades are rendered useless and the pulling effect starts. 

The entire floor needs to be scraped with a razor blade (don't worry, not a little Schick razor, a 3-4" floor razor) if it's on a concrete slab like we see so much in California.

I am a newer investor, so please take my advice lightly.As you are trying to contact the owner, consider running the numbers a few different ways, as an educational exercise.1) Blade / RebuildMake a few calls to get an estimate for blading the current house, and then do the same for a new construction that would fit well with the neighborhood comps.2) Rehab CostIf you have a friend that is a contractor, buy her / him a nice lunch and go tour the property together.

Then you have your general tools like a vice grip, hammer, channel locks, flashlight, tape measure, composite shims, headlamp, box cutter with extra blades, painter's tool 5-1, wire stripper, allen wrenches, voltage detector, outlet tester, lineman's pliers, good Milwaukee demo screwdrivers, Milwaukee 11-1 with Phillips, flat heads, and 3-4 common size nuts(this is great for appliances).

To quote WWII Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, "I would never invade the United States, there would be a gun behind every blade of grass."

When he got the call about the car needing new wipers blades, he asked how much.

I like to use an oscillating saw with a tough blade to surgically remove sections like that.

Seems the ads weren't particularly effective in bringing in business for Zillow real estate agents and Zillow had to do something so the agents would keep advertising.One of the razor blade companies had a similar and brilliant concept.

At walk through, fan blades were all caked with dirt, cobwebs and dustbunnies abound, hardwood and tile floors hadn't been swept or mopped, countertops not wiped, exterior of kitchen appliances not cleaned, stove top still semi dirty (stove was brand new a year and a half ago but she claims "it wouldn't wipe off"), kitchen sink with soap debris on it, food stains splattered on kitchen backsplash and baseboards, bathtub not cleaned, closet floors/shelves/blinds/windows not wiped down, and my favorite - remains of a carcass of a hawk (feathers and...?)

Problem we have had is that you'll need more saw blades, you nailer will need to be set so high you'll bend the nails when you shoot them (so get a heavier hammer!)