I don't have real financial advice for you, but I will chime in as someone who recently lost my mom and ended up in a somewhat similar situation. It is SO hard to think properly after such a loss about... just about anything! I remember in the months after she passed I was looking at (perhaps) valuable books collections, items, a red sports car I would never normally own, the list goes on. And it took me a really long time to realize these were just things. I held off on selling these things for far too long. Part of it was sentimental, part of it guilt, and part of it was the fear that I would sell things in the wrong way and lose money. My mind just wasn't in the right place to make the tough decisions.

A half a year later I had thrown out 95% of the family photos. Five percent turns out to be quite a lot. I had sold the car. I had sold the books (minus the ones that I really valued, which totaled about 10 of 1000). I had given the piano away (try selling a piano on craigslist) t a poor family in town who could pick it up. I could go on and on. And I found that saving time and losing a little money (or even a lot in some instances) was the way to go. This is your life, not hers.

My point is unless you can find a really compelling reason to complicate your life, do the opposite and make the simple and more freeing decision, including the financial ones. Like someone else in this thread has said, travel, grieve and be your own advocate and best friend. Try not to worry about what anyone else thinks.

(sell the house)