Meritage Homes Corporation Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Acquisitions and Goodwill (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Goodwill	$ 32,962us-gaap_Goodwill	$ 10,247us-gaap_Goodwill	$ 0us-gaap_Goodwill
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	22,715us-gaap_GoodwillAcquiredDuringPeriod	10,247us-gaap_GoodwillAcquiredDuringPeriod
West [Member]
Goodwill	0	0	0
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	0	0
Central [Member]
Goodwill	0	0	0
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	0	0
East [Member]
Goodwill	32,962	10,247	0
Financial Services [Member]
Goodwill	0	0	0
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	0	0
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member]
Goodwill	0	0	0
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	0	0
Nashville Acquisition [Member] \| East [Member]
Goodwill, Acquired During Period		10,247
Legendary Communities Acquisition [Member] \| East [Member]
Goodwill, Acquired During Period	$ 22,715