Meritage Homes Corporation Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Operating and Reporting Segments Operating and Reporting Segments (Details 1) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Land closing revenue	$ 1,439us-gaap_LandSales	$ 2,566us-gaap_LandSales
Homebuilding [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Land closing revenue	1,439	2,566
Homebuilding, West Region [Member] \| Reportable Subsegments [Member] \| Homebuilding [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Land closing revenue	0	1,050
Homebuilding, Central Region [Member] \| Reportable Subsegments [Member] \| Homebuilding [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Land closing revenue	1,439	1,516
Homebuilding, East Region [Member] \| Reportable Subsegments [Member] \| Homebuilding [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Land closing revenue	$ 0	$ 0