Inspiration Bayport Real Estate: Q3 2026 Market Update

Through the end of the third quarter of 2026, 12 homes in the Inspiration area of Bayport closed with sale prices ranging from $485,000 to $740,000.

The approximate median sale price was $647,450, while the average sale price was about $639,408. The median time on market was 20 days.

Six of the 12 closed sales finished above their final list price, two closed at list price, and four closed below list price.

As we move into the fourth quarter, one Inspiration home is pending and another is coming soon.

What stands out most to me is not simply the median price. It is the amount of variation from one sale to another.

Inspiration is not a neighborhood where one price-per-square-foot number or one neighborhood median tells the whole story.

• 12 Inspiration-area homes closed through Q3 2026.
• The approximate median sale price was $647,450.
• The average closed price was approximately $639,408.
• Closed prices ranged from $485,000 to $740,000.
• Median market time was 20 days.
• Six sales closed above final list price.
• Two closed at list price.
• Four closed below list price.
• One home was pending as we entered Q4.
• One additional home was coming soon.
• Property characteristics within Inspiration had a meaningful relationship with how each home competed.
• Neighborhood statistics are useful context, but they are not a substitute for evaluating an individual home.

I live in Inspiration myself, so I follow these sales both as a REALTOR® and as a homeowner in the neighborhood.

That gives me a slightly different perspective on the numbers.

I am interested in the neighborhood median, but I am even more interested in why one home sells quickly and above asking while another home at a similar starting price takes longer or closes below list.

That is where the useful information is for homeowners.

The 2026 year-to-date sales show a wide range.

At the lower end, 313 Periwinkle Place closed at $485,000 after being listed at $449,900.

I represented that sale, so I had a firsthand view of how buyers responded to the home, its floor plan, condition, pricing, and position within the neighborhood.

At another price point, 921 Inspiration Parkway S closed at $537,000 after being listed at $529,900.

982 Inspiration Parkway N closed at $602,000 after a $574,900 list price.

303 Primrose Path N closed at $645,000 after being listed at $625,000.

Toward the upper end of the year's activity, 936 Inspiration Parkway S closed at $700,000, while 998 Inspiration Parkway N closed at $740,000.

Those sales do not mean one home was simply “better” than another.

They represent very different houses.

The homes vary in:

• finished square footage
• basement finish
• bedroom count
• bathroom count
• garage size
• lot setting
• age
• updates
• floor plan
• outdoor space
• location within the neighborhood

That is why I would be very cautious about using the neighborhood median of approximately $647,450 as an estimate of what any individual Inspiration home is worth.

It is a market benchmark, not a property valuation.

Half of the closed sales through the third quarter finished above their final list price.

Six sold above list.

Two sold at list.

Four sold below list.

That is a useful statistic, but it needs context.

It does not mean every Inspiration home should automatically be priced low in hopes of creating a bidding war.

It also does not mean a home that sells below asking was necessarily priced incorrectly from day one.

Different homes were competing at different times, against different inventory, at different price points.

A seller's goal should not simply be to say the home sold above list.

The goal is to position the home so the final price and terms produce the strongest realistic result.

Sometimes that means multiple buyers competing.

Sometimes it means finding the right buyer for a more unique home.

The median market time through Q3 was 20 days.

I prefer the median here because one sale materially changes the average.

640 Inspiration Place, which is identified in the MLS report as part of the Villas of Inspiration, showed 228 days on market before closing at $649,900.

That is very different from several traditional Inspiration sales.

For example:

• 982 Inspiration Parkway N sold after 7 days on market.
• 1209 Inspiration Parkway N sold after 10 days.
• 303 Primrose Path N sold after 12 days.
• 216 Prairie Way sold after 17 days.
• 313 Periwinkle Place sold after 20 days.
• 998 Inspiration Parkway N sold after 20 days.

That variation is another reason I would not use one broad average to describe the entire neighborhood.

A median of 20 days gives a more useful picture of typical market time in the data set.

A neighborhood market report cannot prove exactly why one buyer chose one home over another.

But the 2026 sales reinforce several property characteristics that I pay close attention to when evaluating an Inspiration home.

There is a meaningful difference between a home with an unfinished basement and one with several thousand finished square feet including a completed lower level.

Buyers compare usable living space, not just above-ground square footage.

Inspiration includes traditional two-story homes, one-level homes, homes with main-floor primary suites, and Villas products.

Those appeal to different buyers.

The neighborhood includes two-car, three-car, and even four-car garage configurations.

Garage capacity can matter considerably to certain buyers.

Some homes back toward neighborhood open space, restored prairie, wetlands, or other less-developed views.

Others have a more traditional neighborhood setting.

That distinction can matter to buyers, but its value still needs to be supported by comparable sales rather than assumed.

Roof age, flooring, paint, kitchen finishes, mechanical systems, landscaping, and general maintenance all influence buyer perception.

An unfinished lower level can mean future opportunity to one buyer and additional future expense to another.

A finished lower level can materially change the way a home competes against a similar above-ground floor plan.

This is one of the reasons neighborhood expertise matters.

Two Inspiration homes can sit only a few streets apart and still have very different values.

One might have:

• 2,200 finished square feet
• an unfinished basement
• a two-car garage

Another might have:

• more than 4,000 finished square feet
• five bedrooms
• a finished lower level
• a four-car garage

Both are “Inspiration homes.”

They are not comparable simply because they share the same neighborhood name.

Automated online estimates can struggle with these distinctions.

Even a neighborhood median can miss them.

If I were pricing an Inspiration home today, I would start with the most similar recent sales, then adjust my thinking for the actual competition available when the home goes on the market.

One of the things that makes Inspiration different from some newer subdivisions is that the neighborhood was not built by a single builder using only a small group of floor plans.

Over the years, homes in Inspiration have been built by a variety of builders, including D.R. Horton, M/I Homes, Landucci Homes, Cates Fine Homes, Rottlund Homes, Mattamy Homes, and others.

That mix matters when you are comparing homes.

Some of those builders are larger national or regional builders. Others have focused more heavily on custom or highly personalized homes. Individual buyers also made different choices when their homes were built, including floor plans, finishes, room configurations, garage sizes, lower-level finishes, cabinetry, flooring, outdoor spaces, and other options or upgrades.

As a result, two Inspiration homes that look similar on paper can feel very different when you walk through them.

I live in Inspiration, and this is one of the things I pay particular attention to when evaluating a home here.

I would not assume that two homes are directly comparable simply because they were built around the same time and have similar finished square footage.

When I am evaluating an Inspiration home, I want to understand:

• who built the home
• the original floor plan or design when available
• how much customization was done
• what has been changed since construction
• the quality and condition of the finishes
• whether the lower level is finished
• garage configuration
• lot position and setting
• views or relationship to open space
• how buyers are likely to compare that home with the alternatives currently available

The builder's name by itself does not determine value.

A production-built home may have extensive upgrades, an excellent lot, and thoughtful improvements. A custom-built home may have unique features that appeal strongly to some buyers but not others.

The important point is that construction approach, customization, materials, layout, condition, updates, lot, and current competition all need to be considered together.

Just as important, the name on the original building permit does not tell us everything about the home today. Many Inspiration homes have been updated, remodeled, finished, or improved since they were first built. A finished lower level, new roof, updated flooring, remodeled kitchen, landscaping, deck, patio, mechanical improvements, or other changes may influence how today's buyer compares one home with another.

That is another reason the neighborhood-wide median is useful for market context but is not enough to determine the value of a specific Inspiration home.

Inspiration was designed with a substantial amount of open space, and not every home relates to that open space in the same way.

Some properties have more traditional neighborhood views. Others may overlook prairie, wetlands, wooded areas, trails, neighborhood common space, or less-developed surroundings.

That can affect how a home feels to a buyer.

When I evaluate an Inspiration property, I look at more than the lot size shown in the MLS. I also consider orientation, privacy, views, neighboring homes, outdoor living space, and how the property connects visually and physically with the surrounding neighborhood.

A premium setting does not have one automatic dollar value, and not every buyer values the same features equally.

But lot position and setting can be meaningful when comparing two otherwise similar homes.

This is another reason the closest comparable sale is not always simply the home with the nearest address.

There are two pieces of current activity worth watching.

1137 Pioneer Trail entered pending status after 17 days on market with a $684,900 list price.

The home offers 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a 3-car garage, approximately 3,684 finished square feet, and a main-floor primary suite.

Because it has not closed yet, its eventual sale price should not be assumed.

316 Prairie Way S is coming soon at $574,900.

It offers 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a 3-car garage, and approximately 2,134 finished square feet.

Those homes will give us additional information about buyer demand as the neighborhood moves into the final quarter of the year.

It is worth distinguishing Villas of Inspiration from the rest of the neighborhood when evaluating individual properties.

The MLS report identifies 640 Inspiration Place as a Villas of Inspiration property.

Its floor plan, association structure, home style, and buyer profile may differ from a traditional two-story or rambler elsewhere in Inspiration.

That does not make it better or worse.

It simply means I would want to compare a Villas property with the most similar Villas sales whenever possible rather than treating every Inspiration property as interchangeable.

If you own in Inspiration, I think the biggest takeaway is encouraging but nuanced.

There has been meaningful buyer activity across a wide range of price points.

Homes have closed from the upper $400,000s into the $700,000s.

Several properties sold above asking.

At the same time, four closed below their final list price.

That tells me buyers are active, but they are still distinguishing between properties.

If you are thinking about selling, the questions I would want to answer are:

• Which 2026 sales are actually comparable to your home?
• How does your finished square footage compare?
• Is your lower level finished?
• What type of lot and view do you have?
• How many garage stalls?
• Which updates have been completed?
• What competing homes would buyers see at the same time?
• What price range puts your home in the strongest position?

Those questions matter much more than simply saying the neighborhood median is around $647,450.

For buyers, Inspiration offers more variety than the neighborhood may appear to have from the outside.

You can find differences in:

• home age
• one-level versus two-story living
• finished square footage
• unfinished expansion potential
• garage configuration
• lot size
• proximity to neighborhood open space
• association structure

The neighborhood is located in Bayport within Washington County and the St. Croix Valley, with access toward Stillwater, Oak Park Heights, Woodbury, Hudson, and the broader East Metro.

You can learn more about the broader community on my Bayport real estate page.

For homeowners considering a future sale, my guide to preparing a Bayport home for the market also explains how I think about preparation, condition, and pricing.

For a closer look at the earlier part of the year, I also wrote about what Inspiration's summer 2026 home sales told us about the neighborhood.

The neighborhood numbers are useful.

Your home's numbers are more important.

If you are considering selling in Inspiration, I can help compare your home with the most relevant 2026 sales, current competition, floor plans, lot characteristics, updates, and buyer activity.

The goal is not simply to generate an online estimate.

It is to understand where your property realistically fits in today's Inspiration market.