Meritage Homes to donate three homes in Winter Springs, Florida, Lincoln, California, and Houston to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit that provides aid to service members and their families, renewing partnership that began in 2013

Allison Oesterle

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona , May 23, 2014 (press release) – Second Year of Partnership Will Benefit More Veterans by Providing New Homes Through "Homes on the Homefront" Program

Meritage Homes Corporation (NYSE: MTH), a leading U.S. homebuilder, has renewed its partnership with Operation Homefront, a leading national charity supporting families of service members and Wounded Warriors, to provide three more brand new Meritage homes to the "Homes on the Homefront" program.

The partnership began in 2013, when Meritage Homes built and donated three new homes to Operation Homefront in Phoenix; Raleigh, North Carolina; and San Antonio. This year's homes to be donated will be built in Meritage communities in Winter Springs, Florida; Lincoln, California; and Houston, Texas.

Operation Homefront will select the recipients for the new homes and announce their names on September 11, with keys to be awarded on Veteran's Day 2014.

"It has been very rewarding to hear how the homes Meritage provided last year have helped relieve the stress and enriched the lives of several veterans and their families," said Steven J. Hilton, Meritage's chairman and CEO. "We are grateful for the service of our veterans and for organizations like Operation Homefront whose mission it is to help them when they return home. We hope to be able to continue assisting them for years to come."

Richard and Kerry Neider in Goodyear, Arizona, received one of the new Meritage homes in 2013, and said, "It has been a life-altering gift for us. We love our new home and new neighbors, and our children have made many new friends in school. We are already active in the PTA and believe this is an even better school district than the one we left."

Aaron and Erica Kumamoto, who received the home in Converse, Texas, have settled into this suburban San Antonio community full of supportive veterans and currently serving families who provide another strong support network. Erica said, "The home we received from Meritage and Operation Homefront has relieved us of many stressors and has allowed Aaron to concentrate on his college studies full-time without the worries of a mortgage."

In Apex, North Carolina, Jeff and Christy Lynch are enjoying their great new home, and have quickly developed what will be lifetime friendships with their neighbors. Christy runs with her neighbors every morning and Jeff is progressing well with his physical recovery since he is so much closer to his doctors. They said, "We couldn't be happier or more thankful to Meritage and Operation Homefront."

The Homes on the Homefront program began in 2012. Since inception, Operation Homefront has placed more than 300 veterans and their families in mortgage-free homes. Meritage is the only new home builder to join the program.

"Through the support of our partners like Meritage Homes, we're bringing the American dream of home ownership to military families," said Jim Knotts, Operation Homefront president and CEO. "Last year alone, Operation Homefront placed 188 families in homes, helping them save more than $41 million in mortgage costs over an average 30-year loan."

"These homes aren't gifts, but an investment in the future of our military families. Meritage Homes understands this value, and we welcome others to help Operation Homefront provide supportive services to these families as they make the transition to home ownership," Knotts added.

For more information about the program, please visit www.homesonthehomefront.net.

About Meritage Homes Corporation:
Meritage Homes is the ninth-largest public homebuilder in the United States, based on homes closed in 2013. Meritage builds and sells single-family homes for first-time, move-up, luxury and active adult buyers across the Western, Southern and Southeastern United States. As of March 31, 2014, the company had 189 actively selling communities in markets including Sacramento, San Francisco's East Bay, the Central Valley and Orange County, California; Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Phoenix/Scottsdale, Green Valley and Tucson, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; York County, South Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee.

Meritage has designed and built more than 80,000 homes in its 28-year history, and has a reputation for its distinctive style, quality construction, and positive customer experience. Meritage is the industry leader in energy-efficient homebuilding and has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence Award in 2013 and 2014, for innovation and industry leadership in energy efficient homebuilding. Meritage was the first national homebuilder to be 100 percent ENERGY STAR qualified in every home it builds, and far exceeds ENERGY STAR standards today.

For more information, visit meritagehomes.com.

About Operation Homefront:
A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 2,500 volunteers with nationwide presence who provide emergency and other financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Operation Homefront has provided assistance to thousands of military families since its inception in 2002. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity watchdog groups, nationally, 93 percent of total donations to Operation Homefront go directly to programs that provide support to our military families. For more information, go to www.OperationHomefront.net.

MEDIA INQUIRES:
Brent Anderson
VP Investor Relations
Brent.Anderson@meritagehomes.com
972.580.6360

Jason E. Moody
PR Specialist
Jason.Moody@OperationHomefront.net
210.549.4653

Tom Greer
VP, Communications & Outreach
Tom.Greer@OperationHomefront.net
240.429.7879

Source: Meritage Homes Corp.

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