Meritage Homes Fourth Quarter 2012 Earnings Release and Webcast Conference Call Scheduled for January 31, 2013

PHOENIX, Jan. 4, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH), a leading U.S. homebuilder, plans to release the Company's fourth quarter 2012 results on Thursday, January 31, 2013 before the market opens. Following the release, management will host a conference call to discuss their results at 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time (10:30 a.m. Eastern Time). The call will be webcast with an accompanying slideshow available on the "Investor Relations" page of the Company's web site at http://investors.meritagehomes.com. For telephone participants, the dial-in number is 877-317-6789 and the conference number is 10023382. Participants are encouraged to dial in five minutes before the call begins. A replay of the call will be available for fifteen days, beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET on January 31, 2013 on the website noted above, or by dialing 877-344-7529, and referencing conference number 10023382. For more information, visit meritagehomes.com.

About Meritage Homes Corporation

Meritage Homes is the ninth-largest public homebuilder in the United States based on homes closed in 2011. Meritage builds a variety of homes across Southern and Western states to appeal to a wide range of buyers, including first-time, move-up, luxury and active adults. As of September 30, 2012, the company had 153 actively selling communities in 15 metropolitan areas, including Northern California, East Bay/Central Valley and Southern California, Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Tucson, Las Vegas, Denver, Orlando, Tampa and Raleigh-Durham. In 2012, Meritage also announced its entry into the Charlotte market.

Meritage is an industry leader in innovation and energy efficiency. Meritage was the first national homebuilder to be 100 percent ENERGY STAR® qualified in every home it builds, and far exceeds ENERGY STAR standards in most of its communities. Meritage has designed and built more than 75,000 homes in its 27-year history, and has a reputation for its distinctive style, quality construction, and positive customer experience.

For more information, visit meritagehomes.com.

The Meritage Homes Corporation logo is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2624

CONTACT: Brent Anderson
         (972) 580-6360 (office)
         Brent.Anderson@meritagehomes.com

Released January 4, 2013