The lawyer also pointed out the same thing many people here did – that giving Sara the money could affect her benefits. Instead he suggested she turn down the inheritance in favor of placing the money into a special needs trust for her son. Sara will be talking to the lawyer on her options and exactly what that means.
Sara is attempting to get a loan using the house as collateral. Not all the paperwork is in order yet (exactly how much will be left in the estate after all debts are paid) – and we are probably looking at needing to get a professional appraisal of the home first. One person at the bank talked to her and said that with her credit score and income she doubts she would be approved – but that she would process the application once Sara got all the data.