| INVESTMENTS IN UNCONSOLIDATED ENTITIES - Summary of Condensed Financial Information Related to Unconsolidated Equity Method Joint Ventures, Revenues and Expenses (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands | 3 Months Ended | 9 Months Ended | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep. 30, 2016 | Sep. 30, 2015 | Sep. 30, 2016 | Sep. 30, 2015 | |||||
| Financial information related to unconsolidated joint ventures, Operations | ||||||||
| Revenue | $ 13,374 | $ 10,252 | $ 34,875 | $ 25,406 | ||||
| Costs and expenses | (5,762) | (4,649) | (15,408) | (12,057) | ||||
| Net earnings of unconsolidated entities | 7,612 | 5,603 | 19,467 | 13,349 | ||||
| Meritage’s share of pre-tax earnings | [1],[2] | $ 4,681 | $ 3,754 | $ 11,719 | $ 8,763 | |||
| 
 | ||||||||