Meritage Homes’ orders increase 33 percent in July and August

Meritage Homes announced Wednesday that it had received orders for a net total (minus cancellations) of 784 homes in July and August of 2012. The number marked a 33 percent increase from the previous year’s net total of 590 orders in the same period.

The company reported that 374 orders were placed in July 2012, an increase of 17 percent from July 2011. August 2012 saw even greater improvement — the total of 410 orders for the month was 52 percent above August 2011.

Meritage Homes is the ninth-largest public homebuilder in the United States based on homes closed in 2011. Meritage builds a variety of homes across Southern and Western states to appeal to a wide range of buyers, including first-time, move-up, luxury and active adults. As of June 30, 2012, the company had 151 actively selling communities in 15 metropolitan areas, including: Northern California; East Bay/Central Valley and Southern California; Housto; Dallas/Ft. Worth; Austin; San