| COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES - Narrative (Details) $ in Millions | Jun. 06, 2011  USD ($) | Dec. 09, 2010  lender | Mar. 31, 2017  joint_venture | Jan. 31, 2016  USD ($) | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Edge [Member] | ||||
| Loss Contingencies [Line Items] | ||||
| Number of co-venturers liable to Meritage | joint_venture | 4 | |||
| JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A. v. South Edge LLC, Case No. 10-32968-bam [Member] | Pending litigation [Member] | ||||
| Loss Contingencies [Line Items] | ||||
| Number of lenders filing petition for involuntary bankruptcy | lender | 3 | |||
| Amount requested in demand for arbitration related to alleged breaches | $ 13.2 | |||
| Litigation judgment amount with interest | $ 16.6 | |||
| South Edge Guarantee [Member] | ||||
| Loss Contingencies [Line Items] | ||||
| Interest in joint venture | 3.53% | 
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- Definition Initial litigation judgment amount related to joint venture litigation on June 17, 2013 including pre-judgment interest on July 8, 2013 No definition available. 
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- Definition Number of co ventures in the joint venture. No definition available. 
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- Definition The number of lenders who filed a petition seeking to place the venture into an involuntary bankruptcy. No definition available. 
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- Definition The percentage of ownership of common stock or equity participation in the investee accounted for under the equity method of accounting. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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- Definition Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table. No definition available. 
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- Definition The value (monetary amount) of the award the plaintiff seeks in the legal matter. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef 
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