Aria Reserve vs HQ Residences: Which Edgewater Condo Fits You?

Last Updated: September 2026

Aria Reserve is the finished, bayfront option; HQ Residences is the pre-construction option a few blocks inland. Aria Reserve is delivering in 2026 at 700 NE 24th Street with residences priced $900,000 to $3 million. HQ Residences, at 1800 Biscayne Boulevard, is priced $440,000 to $2.2 million with delivery expected in 2028.

Both are in Edgewater, and both were designed by Arquitectonica, which makes this one of the more useful comparisons in the neighborhood. Same architect, same part of Miami, overlapping budgets, and two completely different ways of buying. Here is how I walk buyers through it.

What is the main difference between Aria Reserve and HQ Residences?

The main difference is timing and position. Aria Reserve is a delivering twin-tower building directly on Biscayne Bay, so you buy a finished residence and close. HQ Residences is a 35-story pre-construction tower on Biscayne Boulevard, steps from the bay, where you pay deposits in stages and close around 2028. One is certainty now; the other is a lower entry and a longer hold.

Everything else follows from that. At Aria Reserve you can walk the unit, stand on the terrace and see exactly what the view is. At HQ Residences you are choosing from floor plans and a building stack, with the benefit of pre-construction pricing and a deposit schedule that spreads the cash out over construction.

How do prices compare between Aria Reserve and HQ Residences?

Aria Reserve’s published range is $900,000 to $3 million. HQ Residences runs $440,000 to $2.2 million, or roughly $750 to $1,400 per square foot. HQ opens lower because its residences are smaller; Aria Reserve’s range starts higher but buys considerably more space and direct bay frontage. The two ranges overlap between about $900,000 and $2.2 million.

That overlap is where the decision actually gets made. A buyer with $1.5 million can look at both buildings, and what that money buys is very different:

• At Aria Reserve, residences run from 1,028 to more than 3,000 square feet, in one to five bedroom layouts, all with floor-to-ceiling glass and bay views.
• At HQ Residences, the 229 residences run from 723 to 1,598 square feet, in one to three bedroom layouts, plus Garden Homes and a Penthouse Collection.

So in the overlap, Aria Reserve tends to deliver more square footage and water frontage, while HQ delivers a newer product with a hospitality-driven amenity concept and a payment schedule that stretches to 2028. Current unit pricing at both buildings moves, so I confirm the actual numbers for the size you want before we compare line by line.

How do the deposit and payment structures compare?

Aria Reserve is a delivering building, so there is no construction deposit schedule on a new purchase today: you close on a finished residence with cash or financing. HQ Residences follows a pre-construction schedule: 10% at reservation, 10% at contract, 10% at groundbreaking, 10% at podium completion, 10% at top-off and the 50% balance at closing.

That 50% on paper before closing at HQ is capital tied up for the length of construction with no rent coming in. At Aria Reserve, the full price is due at closing, but you can start living in the unit or renting it under the association’s rules right away. Neither is better in the abstract. The question is whether you want to put capital to work now, or stage it over the next two years and take delivery later.

One point that applies to HQ Residences specifically: the project record shows short-term rentals are not permitted. If you are underwriting nightly rental income, HQ is not the building for it. For Aria Reserve, confirm the rental rules in the tower’s condominium documents before you model any rental income.

Which building has better views and location?

Aria Reserve has the stronger water position. It sits directly on Biscayne Bay at 700 NE 24th Street, and every residence has floor-to-ceiling windows with bay and ocean views. HQ Residences is on Biscayne Boulevard at 1800, steps from the bay and minutes from the Design District, Wynwood and Midtown, with panoramic views from its upper floors.

At Aria Reserve the flow-through layouts are designed to give each Panoramic Residence and SkyView Villa east-facing water views plus west-facing sunset views from the bedrooms. Terraces run up to 11 feet deep. On the bay side, the foreground is the water itself, which is the kind of permanence buyers pay for on the waterfront.

HQ is closer to the Boulevard itself, which means more urban energy at street level and quicker access to the neighborhoods west of Biscayne. The project record is direct about the trade-off: Edgewater is improving quickly but is still uneven at street level. That applies to both buildings, but you feel it more on the Boulevard than on the bay.

How do the residences themselves compare?

Aria Reserve residences are larger and more varied, with 10-foot ceilings in the Panoramic Residences and SkyView Villas and 12-foot ceilings in the Penthouse Residences. HQ Residences offers 9 to 12 foot ceilings, rising to 12 to 16 feet in its penthouses, across a tighter one to three bedroom mix. Both use floor-to-ceiling glass and large terraces.

At Aria Reserve, the stack is clear. Panoramic Residences run from floors 3 to 56, SkyView Villas from floors 47 to 56, Penthouse Residences from floors 57 to 59 at 2,930 to 3,289 square feet with a private garage vault for up to three vehicles, and tri-level Penthouse Mansions on floors 60 to 62. Every residence includes space for a home office, den, studio or media room, and each tower runs two high-speed elevators.

At HQ Residences, Garden Homes sit on Level 11, Sky Residences on Levels 12 to 32 and the Penthouse Collection on Level 33, with the wellness and social floors above. If you work from home or need a real third bedroom, the extra room at Aria Reserve is usually the deciding factor. If you want a compact, lock-and-leave residence in a newer building, HQ is built for that.

How do the amenities compare?

Aria Reserve is built around scale: over two acres of amenities across three levels, including a bay-level marina with kayak and paddle board service, a semi-Olympic pool, tennis, paddle and basketball courts, a theater and a full spa. HQ Residences concentrates its amenities at the top, with a Level 34 wellness club and bathhouse and a Level 35 social club.

At HQ, the wellness floor includes a resort-style pool, yoga shala, Pilates studio, fitness center and a spa circuit with hammam, sauna, steam and hot and cold plunge pools. The social floor adds resident lounges, a library lounge, a work lounge, a podcast studio, a kids’ room, a residents’ speakeasy and a private dining room with a chef kitchen. The building is part of sbe, and the concept leans into hospitality programming and concierge-style services.

At Aria Reserve, the program is closer to a private resort for a large community. There is a restaurant overlooking the bay, a café, 24-hour concierge and front desk, a dog park, a kids’ splash pad and playground, a teens lounge and gaming center, and an adults-only Sky Lobby with a private wine cellar room, business center and conference room. Families tend to use this kind of program more. The full list is on the Aria Reserve amenities section.

Who should choose Aria Reserve, and who should choose HQ Residences?

Choose Aria Reserve if you want to be on the water in Edgewater now, need more space and would rather inspect a finished residence than buy from a floor plan. Choose HQ Residences if a lower entry price and a staged deposit schedule matter more than immediate occupancy, and you are comfortable waiting until around 2028 for delivery.

A few more points I share with buyers weighing the two:

• Aria Reserve is a value play on the bay, not a boutique product. It is a large twin-tower development with a broad buyer mix. You get bay frontage and space at a price point that lets the math work, not a white-glove branded experience.
• HQ is a new brand. The project record notes that HQ does not carry the resale premium of a legacy hospitality flag. The design team is strong (Arquitectonica, with interiors and amenities by DesignAgency and Craft and landscape by Enzo Enea), but the brand itself is untested on resale.
• Timing risk sits with HQ. Delivery in 2028 is per the current record. With Aria Reserve, the building exists; with HQ, you are relying on the construction schedule.
• Resale supply sits with Aria Reserve. As original buyers close, some will list. That creates choice and sometimes motivated sellers, but it also means more competing listings when you eventually sell.

If you are still deciding on the neighborhood itself, the Edgewater neighborhood overview covers the location, and you can review both towers’ residence types on the Aria Reserve residences overview. For the HQ side, the full project is at HQ Residences Miami.

What does each building say about Edgewater in 2026?

Together, the two buildings show where Edgewater is right now: finished bayfront towers delivering this year, and a new wave of pre-construction product with smaller units and hospitality-driven amenities arriving through 2028. A buyer choosing between them is really choosing between the neighborhood as it is today and the neighborhood as it is being built.

I would not pick either one on the brochure alone. The right answer depends on your budget, how much space you need, whether you plan to live in it or rent it, and how comfortable you are with a two-year hold. Tell me those four things and I can narrow it down quickly. Request pricing for both buildings or call me at 786-474-9627.

Adrian Sanchez, Founder & Managing Broker, WIRE Miami Over 20 years specializing in Miami’s luxury pre-construction market. Direct developer relationships for preferred pricing and priority access. wiremiami.com • 786-474-9627 • info@wiremiami.com