Solano Real Estate Scene: Jim Porter
Article By: Jim Porter – July 4, 2025
My offices have been near the corner of Alamo and Merchant street in Vacaville for 30 years, and for the past 20 years, the Alamo Inn that sits right on Interstate 80 just became uglier every year until it was finally condemned a year or two ago.
The Alamo Inn, formerly known as the Monte Vista Motel on Highway 40, was demolished this week. So from now on when I refer friends and family over to Wren’s Cafe, the best old-school place for breakfast and lunch in Vacaville, owned by my friend Kevin Moreno, I won’t need to tell them to ignore the Alamo Inn eyesore.
Eyesores like this place can negatively impact a neighborhood.
“The presence of vacant or abandoned properties can signal disinvestment and contribute to a decline in property values throughout a community. Living near neglected properties can lead to feelings of hopelessness, frustration and stress,” according to a Google AI.
As I am writing this, I am thinking of something funny to say, like maybe it’s that disgusting Alamo Inn’s fault that the mortgage business has sucked these past couple years.
In all seriousness, if someone is listing a home for sale and it sits next to a house with a dead lawn and junk strewn all around the front yard, the Realtor and the seller may want to ask the neighbor to clean it up. If they refuse or cannot afford it, it may be worth paying for the cleanup and gardening. If the neighbors are nice folks but simply uncouth slobs, it might even be a good idea to buy them Great America passes for their whole clan on the day of the open house.
Jim Porter, NMLS No. 276412, is the branch manager of Solano Mortgage, NMLS No. 1515497, a division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation, NMLS No. 1850, licensed in California by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the CRMLA / Equal Housing Opportunity. Jim can be reached at 707-449-4777.
