Do we move Mom before we sell her house and seek elder financing to pay for her care until it sells?

You've nailed it, in my opinion. Move her into an ALF, then put her home on the market. There will undoubtedly be maintenance and cosmetic issues that need to be addressed to maximize its value. And, if your mom's like so many of us, lots of depersonalization that should be addressed. All of this can be done much more easily with mom out of the house.

Get yourself an experienced Realtor who can help you put together a to-do list, wait for that loan to come thru (maybe doing some of the list as you wait), move mom into the ALF, finish the list lickity-split, and price mom's home realistically for a timely sale.

Good luck!

Curious about elder financing... who gives this type of a loan?

@freqflyer we are obtaining a line of credit through elderlifefinancial to supplement funding the ALF until my mom's house is sold.

Some assisted living I went to, had you fill out a picture of your finances and list all your pension, savings, house value, and they were wanting 2 years of self pay --based on your finances as described in this list. So that leads me to think they will accept a pending house sale as proof you will pay, eventually, but they may require you to sign something to that effect. In effect the the facility would be floating you a loan until house sells.