If you are thinking of your mother doing those things, I'll tell you for sure that a reluctant 78-year-old amateur in so-so health shouldn't attempt any of it. Nor should she invest all her retirement capital into building at this time -- or any time.
SELLER WON'T REPAIR
Dear Edith: My wife and I are 10 days away from closing on the sale of our current home and purchasing a new one. The problem is that repairs agreed to be done by the sellers are still not complete. A couple of these items are required for our loan to close. The original timeline to make the repairs was 15 days. It has now been 35 days, and the closing date is in doubt. What options do we as the buyers have moving forward? -- E. H. I.
Answer: If only the sellers are involved, sometimes you can close anyhow; the sellers could give you a credit for repairs you will later do yourselves. But when it's a matter of requirements for the mortgage loan, your lender is involved.
I haven't seen the contracts and don't know how much of that agreement was in writing. I don't know if you'd have a claim for damages because of the delay (losing a favorable interest rate, for instance.) But it's time to call in a real estate lawyer, someone who might contact the bank on your behalf to see what can be arranged. Perhaps your attorney would want to send a stern lawyer's letter to the sellers. Sometimes that alone works wonders.