Meritage builds homes to meet residents' needs

By carefully selecting community locations, building the right variety of homes and pricing them affordably, Meritage Homes Corp. has become one of the Las Vegas Valley's most respected homebuilders, according to Robb Beville, Las Vegas Division president for Meritage Homes.

"It has never been our goal to be the biggest home-builder in southern Nevada, but we strive to be a top 10 builder here, like we do ineach of our national markets," Beville says. "Our philosophy allows us to be very selective about where we develop communities in the valley. For Meritage buyers, it means a fresh approach to living."

Part of the company's approach includes giving back to residents in its communities. Beville says the practice is best illustrated through the clubhouses found at many of the company's communities. For example, the fully staffed Club at Yellowstone offers three swimming pools, a spa, state-of-the-art fitness center, outdoor barbecue area, basketball court, party room and children's play area. It's the centerpiece of Yellowstone at Mountain's Edge, one of the homebuilder's most popular communities.

"The Club at Yellowstone is our contribution to the residents of Yellowstone at Mountain's Edge," Beville says. "We're developing a similar recreational facility--The Club at Northern Terrace--for residents of Northern Terrace at Providence.

"Homeowners have many expenses. By offering these unique communityamenities, we're telling them we understand," he states. "They can cancel the gym memberships and forget about building pools in their backyards. We eliminate those extra expenses for them."

Regardless of a community's size, Beville says Meritage's homebuyers are sure to find quality and value. Gated entrances, community parks, lush landscaping and clubhouses provide a destination lifestyle to residents--even in some of Meritage's smallest communities.

"Our goal is to give buyers homes they're proud to own in neighborhoods they're excited to call home," Beville says, "Our word is our honor. When we tell buyers they're going to get quality and value, we show them quality and value."

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Beville explains that before individuals and families are happy homeowners, they're happy customers.

"We focus on creating good experiences from the moment a customer enters one of our sales centers," Beville says, adding that the company makes the buying process comfortable and manageable. "It's no secret that purchasing a new home can be overwhelming. By providing our signature customer service and superior quality, we're on our way to creating happy homeowners."

Promoting Growth

Meritage entered the Las Vegas market in 2002 after purchasing Perma-Bilt Homes, a company that began building Las Vegas homes in 1994.Armed with a strategic growth and land acquisition plan, Beville andhis Las Vegas team have consistently achieved their annual goals. "We delivered 541 homes in 2005 and expect to deliver well over 600 homes in 2006," Beville says.

Beville predicts the momentum will continue throughout 2007 as Meritage unveils new communities and model home complexes. Sales are currently under way at 11 Las Vegas-area communities. Great Falls, Whitewater, Glacier and Evergreen are within Yellowstone at Mountain's Edge in the southwest part of the valley. Summer Trail, a gated community of two-story homes, and Watermarke, Meritage's newest condominium community, are also located within the Mountain's Edge master-planned community.

In the northwest, Northern Terrace at Providence offers four neighborhoods: Concord, Salem, Brookline and Andover. Geyser Peak is situated in the north near the base of the Spring Mountains.

"We're on track to open model homes at Summer Trail, Watermarke and Northern Terrace in January and February," Beville says. Meritage Homes at Inspirada, a new master planned community in Henderson, Nev, is touted as "a 2,000-acre town unto itself" with residential villages and a city center. Meritage will feature three new uniquely designed communities.