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

Real Estate and Capitalized Interest (Details 2) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011 Communities	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011 Communities
Number of communities with real estate inventory impairments & fair value of these communities
Number of Communities Impaired	5		7
Impairment Charges	$ 358	$ 0	$ 669
Fair Value of Communities Impaired (Carrying Value less Impairments)	9,395		16,222
West [Member]
Number of communities with real estate inventory impairments & fair value of these communities
Number of Communities Impaired	1		1
Impairment Charges	129		129
Fair Value of Communities Impaired (Carrying Value less Impairments)	2,501		2,501
Central [Member]
Number of communities with real estate inventory impairments & fair value of these communities
Number of Communities Impaired	4		6
Impairment Charges	229		540
Fair Value of Communities Impaired (Carrying Value less Impairments)	6,894		13,721
East [Member]
Number of communities with real estate inventory impairments & fair value of these communities
Number of Communities Impaired	0		0
Impairment Charges	$ 0		$ 0