Exhibit 23.1

                        CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

The Board of Directors
Meritage Corporation:

We consent to the use of our report dated February 6, 2003, with respect to the
consolidated balance sheets of Meritage Corporation and subsidiaries as of
December 31, 2002 and 2001, and the related consolidated statements of
earnings, stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the years in the
three-year period ended December 31, 2002, which report appears in the Annual
Report on Form 10-K of Meritage Corporation for the year ended December 31,
2002, incorporated herein by reference and to the reference to our firm under
the heading "Experts" in the prospectus.


                                  /s/ KPMG LLP



Phoenix, Arizona
November 3, 2003