Over the last four decades, Meritage Homes has delivered 200,000 homes. Starting as a semi-custom luxury builder in 1985, the company—which was founded by Steven J. Hilton and William W. Cleverly—pivoted to affordable entry level homes in 2016.
Now as No. 5 on the 2025 Builder 100 list, Meritage has delivered homes in more than 300 communities spanning 12 states. “We have been on an incredible journey over the past four decades from the first home we built in Arizona to now having delivered the 200,000th home this year,” says Steven J. Hilton, executive chairman of Meritage Homes.
Meritage attributes its success to its continuous commitment of delivering a ‘Life.Built.Better.’ for all of its stakeholders, and a core value of ‘Start with Heart.’ For the past three years, Meritage has earned Great Place to Work certification.
“As we reflect on 40 years of growth and transformation, we are incredibly proud of delivering a Life.Built.Better. for so many customers, employees, partners, and shareholders,” say Phillippe Lord, CEO, Meritage Homes. “With our proven business model and best-in-class team members, we are committed to continuing to deliver quality homes and customer satisfaction for many decades to come.”
In 2014, the builder established its Meritage Cares philanthropic foundation, contributing nearly $22 million to charitable organizations chosen by employees through 2024. Meritage was recognized by its peers with the honor of the Hearthstone Builder Humanitarian Award in 2023 for demonstrating a lifetime commitment to public service.
Within its first two decades of operations, Meritage transitioned from an Arizona homebuilder to a regional player through a merger, start-up opportunities, and acquisitions. Over the last two decades, it diversified further to become a national homebuilder with over 15,000 closings in 2024. Meritage recently enhanced its strategy by including a 60-day closing commitment to give buyers certainty of closing and to better compete with the resale market.
