-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----
Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR
Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov
Originator-Key-Asymmetric:
 MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen
 TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB
MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA,
 UTd/VVbxbaSKlE3IiKjRejqv1+zuPQl6lTPjs2vCHoxnaFZoh9E+3pWla0EfGc3s
 yUVPcq8JK7HUdMIUth+9HQ==

<SEC-DOCUMENT>0000950123-10-086828.txt : 20101112
<SEC-HEADER>0000950123-10-086828.hdr.sgml : 20101111
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20100916195353
<PRIVATE-TO-PUBLIC>
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0000950123-10-086828
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	CORRESP
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		1
FILED AS OF DATE:		20100916

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			Meritage Homes CORP
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0000833079
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	OPERATIVE BUILDERS [1531]
		IRS NUMBER:				860611231
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			MD
		FISCAL YEAR END:			1231

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		CORRESP

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		17851 NORTH 85TH STREET
		STREET 2:		SUITE 300
		CITY:			SCOTTSDALE
		STATE:			AZ
		ZIP:			85255
		BUSINESS PHONE:		480-515-8100

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		17851 NORTH 85TH STREET
		STREET 2:		SUITE 300
		CITY:			SCOTTSDALE
		STATE:			AZ
		ZIP:			85255

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	MERITAGE CORP
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19981009

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	MONTEREY HOMES CORP
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19970113

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	HOMEPLEX MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS CORP
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19920703
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>CORRESP
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>filename1.htm
<TEXT>
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Correspondence</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<!-- PAGEBREAK -->
<DIV
style="width: 7.2in; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin-left: 0.25in">

<P style="font-size: 10pt" align="center">Meritage Homes Corporation<BR>
178521
North 85<SUP style="font-size: 85%; vertical-align: text-top">th</SUP>
Street<BR>
Suite&nbsp;300<BR>
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255<BR><BR>
September&nbsp;16,
2010

<P style="font-size: 10pt" align="left">Jay Ingram <BR>
Legal Branch Chief
<BR>
United States Securities and Exchange Commission <BR>
Division of
Corporation Finance <BR>
100 F Street, N.E. <BR>
Washington, D.C. 20549-7010

<P><table style="font-size: 10pt" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
width="100%">
        <tr>
                <td width="5%"><b>Re:</b></td>
                <td width="1%">&nbsp;</td>
                <td width="94%"><b>Meritage Homes Corporation</b></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td><b>Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2009</b></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td><b>Filed March 5, 2010</b></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td><b>Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A</b></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td><b>Filed March 31, 2010</b></td>
        </tr>
</table>

<P style="font-size: 10pt" align="left">Dear Mr.&nbsp;Ingram

<P style="text-indent: 4%; font-size: 10pt" align="left">On behalf of Meritage
Homes Corporation (the &#8220;Company&#8221;) we are submitting this letter in
response to the comment received from the staff of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the &#8220;Commission&#8221; and the &#8220;Staff&#8221;) in a
letter dated September&nbsp;10, 2010 (the &#8220;Comment Letter&#8221;) with
respect to the filings referenced above. We have reviewed the question in your
Comment Letter and have provided the attached response. For your convenience,
the heading and paragraph number in our letter correspond to the heading and
paragraph number in the Staff&#8217;s letter.

<P style="font-size: 10pt" align="left"><U>Definitive Proxy Statement</U>

<P style="font-size: 10pt" align="left"><U>Compensation Discussion and
Analysis, page 23</U>

<P style="font-size: 10pt" align="left"><U>Discussion of CEO and NEO
Compensation, page 29</U>

<P>
<TABLE style="font-size: 10pt" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
width="100%">

 <TR
style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; color: #000000; font-size: 10pt"
valign="top">
  <TD width="3%" nowrap align="left"><I>1.</I></TD>
  <TD width="1%">&nbsp;</TD>
  <TD><I>We note your response to comment 5 of our letter dated August&nbsp;24,
2010. We continue to believe that investors will benefit from disclosure of the
precise levels of budgeted Pre-tax income and SG&amp;A expense for awards that
have vested. Please supplementally disclose the actual value of
&#8220;budget&#8221; and disclose the actual value of similar performance
targets in future filings.</I></TD>
 </TR>

</TABLE>


<P style="font-size: 10pt" align="center">&nbsp;

<P style="display: none; font-size: 10pt" align="center">1
</DIV>

<!-- PAGEBREAK -->
<P><HR noshade><P>
<H5 align="left" style="page-break-before:always">&nbsp;</H5><P>

<DIV style="width: 7.2in; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin-left: 0.25in">


<P style="font-size: 10pt" align="left">Jay Ingram <BR>
United States
Securities and Exchange Commission <BR>
September&nbsp;16, 2010 <BR>
Page 2

<P style="font-size: 10pt" align="left"><U><B>Response</B></U>

<P style="text-indent: 4%; font-size: 10pt" align="left">The Company
acknowledges the Staff&#8217;s comment and will in future filings disclose the
actual value of performance targets for awards that have vested.
Supplementally, the Company discloses that budgeted Pre-tax income for 2009 was
a loss of $35.9&nbsp;million and budgeted G&amp;A expense for 2009 was $
56.1&nbsp;million.

<P style="text-indent: 4%; font-size: 10pt" align="left">We acknowledge that:

<P style="text-indent: 4%; font-size: 10pt" align="left">1.&nbsp;The Company is
responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in the filing
referenced above;

<P style="text-indent: 4%; font-size: 10pt" align="left">2.&nbsp;Staff comments
or changes to disclosure in response to staff comments do not foreclose the
Commission from taking any action with respect to the filing referenced above;
and

<P style="text-indent: 4%; font-size: 10pt" align="left">3.&nbsp;The Company
may not assert staff comments as a defense in any proceeding initiated by the
Commission or any person under the federal securities laws of the United States.

<P style="text-indent: 4%; font-size: 10pt" align="left">If you have any
questions regarding our responses, you may contact me at 480.515.8003.

<P style="text-indent: 50%; font-size: 10pt" align="left">Sincerely,

<P>
<TABLE style="font-size: 10pt" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
width="100%">

 <TR
style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; color: #000000; font-size: 10pt"
valign="top">
  <TD width="45%" nowrap align="left">&nbsp;</TD>
  <TD width="5%">&nbsp;</TD>
  <TD width="50%">/s/ Larry W. Seay, Executive Vice President and <br>Chief Financial
Officer</TD>
 </TR>

</TABLE>

<P><table style="font-size: 10pt" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
width="100%">
        <tr>
                <td width="5%">cc:</td>
                <td width="1%">&nbsp;</td>
                <td width="94%">Erin Jaskot</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>Staff Attorney</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>United States Securities and Exchange Commission</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>Division of Corporation Finance</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>100 F Street, N.E.</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>&nbsp;</td>
                <td>Washington, D.C. 20549-7010</td>
        </tr>
</table>

<P style="font-size: 10pt" align="center">&nbsp;

<P style="display: none; font-size: 10pt" align="center">2
</DIV>
</BODY>
</HTML>
</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
</SEC-DOCUMENT>
-----END PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----
