I don't think you need to do anything right now. If the house sells at a satisfactory price, then both the first mortgage and the equity loan balance will be paid off at the closing, and the balance (minus agent's commission, if your using one) will go to you. You definitely should NOT pay off the loan with your savings. That cash provides you with financial flexbility that you will lose if you pay off the loan. A recent widow should hang on to her cash reserves until life settles down and her financial situation becomes more certain. If the equity loan is a HELOC with a floating interest rate and the house doesn't sell by the end of the summer season, you probably should do a refinance and combine both loans into one so that you don't have to worry about the possibility of rising interest rates inflating the size of the HELOC payments.

OK, here's something to make you feel better when doing the repair: Where ever you can, underneath the paint, behind the baseboard dutchman, etc. Write your name, the date and a little story about the doggie who dun it. Maybe a little cartoon. Someday, someone will turn up your message and it will be one of those things that makes the house live for them. I hope no one takes this amiss, but on Sept. 11th I was rehanging a built-in cupboard in the pantry in my Virginia house. After I couldn't watch TV anymore, I made myself take up something constructive. But before I screwed those pieces back to the wall, I wrote on the back, what day it was and what I felt and what I was worried about and why and signed my name. It helped me a bit, but also left something for someone else to know, firsthand, how it was on that awful day.

My Mama passed almost seven years ago, and I am still working on her fabric stash, but with materials used for quilting and also every other type of material one could need. I started quilting about a year before she died, and my first quilt was a Christmas gift for her, I finished in February. I kept company with her as I was quilting and she watched it come together, not knowing it was for her. She had always wanted to make a quilt, and had started the blocks for a Cathedral Windows, inspired by a friend when we lived in Missouri, as state just famous for it's cottage quilt industry. When one drove through the Ozarks, it was commonplace to see them hung out on clotheslines, to catch the eye of passers-by. She had also made some yo-yos but they disappeared sometime and I've never found them. I wish you much enjoyment with your new hobby. I think you'll find yourself close to her spirit as you work, as I find myself close to my mother when I am in my sewing room, handling the fabrics she had saved over the years. I have made about thirty quilts since then, really surprising myself since making ONE quilt was on my bucket list. LOL. Welcome to the forum, and my condolences as well on your mother's passing. BTW, that is one beautiful design you will be finishing. I also have a quilt cat who loves to lay on my blocks and scatter them too. He keeps me company each morning as I sew, and prefers my sewing room to all the others in this house.

Obviously, family dynamics differ for everyone. If it's tough for both you and your mom to communicate about it, you could start by leaving everything as-is and just make small changes here and there. She may not even notice, and you might start to feel more comfortable making bigger changes. On the other hand, have you considered talking to her about how she feels about it all? Maybe show her some inspiration pictures of things you'd like to do and see how she reacts? I mean, it sounds like she desperately wants to leave, so she can't be that attached to furniture placement.