"So is it possible/advisable for me and my brother as executors to take the sale money of the house and distribute it ourselves to the beneficiaries instead of doing that through the solicitor?"
Possible, yes, once the sale is concluded and you've seen the final balance available, after payment of legal fees and outlays.
Advisable? Who can say? A lot of executors would prefer to have a solicitor wind up the estate - while many beneficiaries are deeply suspicious of solicitors ( robbers the lot of them!), those most suspicious of solicitors are likely to be even more suspicious of lay executors!
mf