You know, if she wants to postpone homelessness, she could also sell her "breathtaking piece of property overlooking the sound" with a "lighthouse garret atop the house" and move into a studio apt near a bigger city.
I'm not sure she and her husband would make it past a credit/employment check to satisfy a landlord.
On a 12 month lease, landlords tend to accept a bank statement showing $18x monthly rent in lieu of good credit/employment. Assuming the Seattle area is just as expensive as the NY area, she would only need to have $18k equity in the house to meet that bar.