| Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) | 3 Months Ended |
| Feb. 28, 2014 |
| Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | ' |
| Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 260, Earnings Per Share | ' |
| We compute earnings (loss) per share using the two-class method in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 260, “Earnings Per Share.” The two-class method is an allocation of earnings between the holders of common stock and a company’s participating security holders. Our outstanding nonvested shares of restricted stock contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends and, therefore, are considered participating securities for purposes of computing earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method. We had no other participating securities at February 28, 2014 or 2013. |
| Use of Estimates | ' |
| The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make informed estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates. |
| Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash | ' |
| We consider all highly liquid short-term investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Our cash equivalents totaled $124.2 million at February 28, 2014 and $436.2 million at November 30, 2013. The majority of our cash and cash equivalents were invested in money market funds and interest-bearing bank deposit accounts. |
| Restricted cash of $42.1 million at February 28, 2014 and $41.9 million at November 30, 2013 consisted of cash deposited with various financial institutions that was required as collateral for our cash-collateralized letter of credit facilities (“LOC Facilities”). |
| Presentation of Comprehensive Income | ' |
| Our comprehensive income for the three months ended February 28, 2014 was $10.6 million. For the three months ended February 28, 2013, our comprehensive loss was $12.5 million. Our comprehensive income (loss) for each of the three-month periods ended February 28, 2014 and 2013 was equal to our net income (loss) for the same periods. The accumulated other comprehensive loss in our consolidated balance sheets as of February 28, 2014 and November 30, 2013 was comprised solely of adjustments recorded directly to accumulated other comprehensive loss in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 715, “Compensation – Retirement Benefits” (“ASC 715”). Such adjustments are made annually as of November 30, when our benefit plan obligations are remeasured. ASC 715 requires an employer to recognize the funded status of defined postretirement benefit plans as an asset or liability on the balance sheet and requires any unrecognized prior service costs and actuarial gains/losses to be recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). |
| Reclassifications | ' |
| Certain amounts in the consolidated financial statements of prior years have been reclassified to conform to the 2014 presentation. |
| Stock-Based Compensation (ASC 718) | ' |
| We measure and recognize compensation expense associated with our grant of equity-based awards in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 718, “Compensation — Stock Compensation” (“ASC 718”). ASC 718 requires that companies measure and recognize compensation expense at an amount equal to the fair value of share-based payments granted under compensation arrangements over the vesting period. |
| Accounting Standards Codification Topic No.280, Segment Reporting | ' |
| As of February 28, 2014, we had identified five operating reporting segments, comprised of four homebuilding reporting segments and one financial services reporting segment, within our consolidated operations in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 280, “Segment Reporting.” As of February 28, 2014, our homebuilding reporting segments conducted ongoing operations in the following states: |
| West Coast: California |
| Southwest: Arizona and Nevada |
| Central: Colorado, New Mexico and Texas |
| Southeast: Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia |
| Our homebuilding reporting segments are engaged in the acquisition and development of land primarily for residential purposes and offer a wide variety of homes that are designed to appeal to first-time, move-up and active adult homebuyers. |
| Our homebuilding reporting segments were identified based primarily on similarities in economic and geographic characteristics, product types, regulatory environments, methods used to sell and construct homes and land acquisition characteristics. We evaluate segment performance primarily based on segment pretax results. |
| Our financial services reporting segment offers property and casualty insurance and, in certain instances, earthquake, flood and personal property insurance to our homebuyers in the same markets as our homebuilding reporting segments, and provides title services in the majority of our markets within our Central and Southeast homebuilding reporting segments. This segment also earns revenues pursuant to the terms of a marketing services agreement with Nationstar Mortgage LLC (“Nationstar”), our preferred mortgage lender that offers mortgage banking services, including residential consumer mortgage loan (“mortgage loan”) originations, to our homebuyers who elect to use the lender. Our homebuyers are under no obligation to use our preferred mortgage lender and may select any lender of their choice to obtain mortgage financing for the purchase of a home. Except as discussed below, we have had no affiliation, ownership, joint venture or other interests in or with our preferred mortgage lender or its affiliates, or with respect to the revenues or income that may have been generated from their provision of mortgage banking services to, or origination of mortgage loans for, our homebuyers. |
| On January 21, 2013, we entered into an agreement with Nationstar to form Home Community Mortgage, LLC (“Home Community Mortgage”), a mortgage banking company that will offer an array of mortgage banking services to our homebuyers. We have a 49.9% ownership interest and Nationstar has a 50.1% ownership interest in Home Community Mortgage, with Nationstar providing management oversight of Home Community Mortgage’s operations. Nationstar will continue as our preferred mortgage lender until Home Community Mortgage begins offering mortgage banking services. Home Community Mortgage is accounted for as an unconsolidated joint venture within our financial services reporting segment. |
| Corporate and other is a non-operating segment that develops and implements company-wide strategic initiatives and provides support to our homebuilding reporting segments by centralizing certain administrative functions, such as promotional marketing, legal, purchasing administration, architecture, accounting, treasury, insurance and risk management, information technology and human resources, to benefit from economies of scale. Corporate and other includes general and administrative expenses related to operating our corporate headquarters. A portion of the expenses incurred by Corporate and other is allocated to the homebuilding reporting segments. |
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| Our segments follow the same accounting policies used for our consolidated financial statements. The results of each segment are not necessarily indicative of the results that would have occurred had the segment been an independent, stand-alone entity during the periods presented, nor are they indicative of the results to be expected in future periods |
| Property, Plant and Equipment (ASC 360) | ' |
| Each community or land parcel in our owned inventory is assessed to determine if indicators of potential impairment exist. Impairment indicators are assessed separately for each community or land parcel on a quarterly basis and include, but are not limited to, the following: significant decreases in net orders, average selling prices, volume of homes delivered, gross profit margins on homes delivered or projected gross profit margins on homes in backlog or future housing sales; significant increases in budgeted land development and home construction costs or cancellation rates; or projected losses on expected future land sales. If indicators of potential impairment exist for a community or land parcel, the identified asset is evaluated for recoverability in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 360, “Property, Plant, and Equipment” (“ASC 360”). We evaluated 11 and 20 communities or land parcels for recoverability during the three months ended February 28, 2014 and 2013, respectively. |
| Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures | ' |
| Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” provides a framework for measuring the fair value of assets and liabilities under GAAP, and establishes a fair value hierarchy that requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The fair value hierarchy can be summarized as follows: |
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| Level 1 | | Fair value determined based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. |
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| Level 2 | | Fair value determined using significant observable inputs, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities or quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, or inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data, by correlation or other means. |
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| Level 3 | | Fair value determined using significant unobservable inputs, such as pricing models, discounted cash flows, or similar techniques. |
| Accounting Standards Codification Topic No.810, Consolidation (ASC 810) | ' |
| We participate in joint ventures from time to time that conduct land acquisition, land development and/or other homebuilding activities in various markets where our homebuilding operations are located. Our investments in these joint ventures may create a variable interest in a variable interest entity (“VIE”), depending on the contractual terms of the arrangement. We analyze our joint ventures in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 810, “Consolidation” (“ASC 810”), to determine whether they are VIEs and, if so, whether we are the primary beneficiary. None of our joint ventures at February 28, 2014 and November 30, 2013 were determined under the provisions of ASC 810 to be VIEs. All of our joint ventures were unconsolidated and accounted for under the equity method because we did not have a controlling financial interest. |
| In the ordinary course of our business, we enter into land option contracts and other similar contracts to acquire rights to land for the construction of homes. The use of such land option contracts and other similar contracts to control land generally allows us to reduce the market risks associated with direct land ownership and development, and to reduce our capital and financial commitments, including interest and other carrying costs. Under such contracts, we typically pay a specified option or earnest money deposit in consideration for the right to purchase land in the future, usually at a predetermined price. |
| We analyze each of our land option contracts and other similar contracts under the provisions of ASC 810 to determine whether the land seller is a VIE and, if so, whether we are the primary beneficiary. Although we do not have legal title to the underlying land, ASC 810 requires us to consolidate a VIE if we are determined to be the primary beneficiary. In determining whether we are the primary beneficiary, we consider, among other things, whether we have the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance. Such activities would include, among other things, determining or limiting the scope or purpose of the VIE, selling or transferring property owned or controlled by the VIE, or arranging financing for the VIE. As a result of our analyses, we determined that as of February 28, 2014 and November 30, 2013 we were not the primary beneficiary of any VIEs from which we have acquired rights to land under land option contracts and other similar contracts. In accordance with ASC 810, we perform ongoing reassessments of whether we are the primary beneficiary of a VIE. |
| Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 470, Debt (ASC 470) | ' |
| We also evaluate our land option contracts and other similar contracts for financing arrangements in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 470, “Debt” (“ASC 470”), and, as a result of our evaluations, increased inventories, with a corresponding increase to accrued expenses and other liabilities, in our consolidated balance sheets by $9.8 million at February 28, 2014 and $8.9 million at November 30, 2013. |
| Warranty | ' |
| Warranty. We provide a limited warranty on all of our homes. The specific terms and conditions of our limited warranty program vary depending upon the markets in which we do business. We generally provide a structural warranty of 10 years, a warranty on electrical, heating, cooling, plumbing and certain other building systems each varying from two to five years based on geographic market and state law, and a warranty of one year for other components of the home. Our limited warranty program is ordinarily how we respond to and account for homeowners’ requests to local division offices seeking repairs, including claims where we could have liability under applicable state statutes or tort law for a defective condition in or damages to a home. |
| We estimate the costs that may be incurred under each limited warranty and record a liability in the amount of such costs at the time the revenue associated with the sale of each home is recognized. Our primary assumption in estimating the amounts we accrue for warranty costs is that historical claims experience is a strong indicator of future claims experience. Factors that affect our warranty liability include the number of homes delivered, historical and anticipated rates of warranty claims, and cost per claim. We periodically assess the adequacy of our accrued warranty liability, which is included in accrued expenses and other liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets, and adjust the amount as necessary based on our assessment. Our assessment includes the review of our actual warranty costs incurred to identify trends and changes in our warranty claims experience, and considers our home construction quality, customer service initiatives and outside events. While we believe the warranty liability currently reflected in our consolidated balance sheets to be adequate, unanticipated changes or developments in the legal environment, local weather, land or environmental conditions, quality of materials or methods used in the construction of homes or customer service practices could have a significant impact on our actual warranty costs in future periods and such amounts could differ from our current estimates |
| Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 460, Guarantees | ' |
| Guarantees. In the normal course of our business, we issue certain representations, warranties and guarantees related to our home sales and land sales that may be affected by Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 460, “Guarantees.” Based on historical evidence, we do not believe any potential liability with respect to these representations, warranties or guarantees would be material to our consolidated financial statements. |
| Self-Insurance | ' |
| Self-Insurance. We maintain, and require the majority of our subcontractors to maintain, general liability insurance (including construction defect and bodily injury coverage) and workers’ compensation insurance. These insurance policies protect us against a portion of our risk of loss from claims related to our homebuilding activities, subject to certain self-insured retentions, deductibles and other coverage limits. We self-insure a portion of our overall risk through the use of a captive insurance subsidiary. We also maintain certain other insurance policies. In Arizona, California, Colorado and Nevada, our subcontractors’ general liability insurance primarily takes the form of a wrap-up policy, where eligible subcontractors are enrolled as insureds on each project. Enrolled subcontractors contribute toward the cost of the insurance and agree to pay a contractual amount in the future in the event of a claim related to their work. For those enrolled subcontractors, we absorb their general liability associated with the work performed on our homes within the applicable projects as part of our overall general liability insurance and our self-insurance through our captive insurance subsidiary. We record expenses and liabilities based on the estimated costs required to cover our self-insured retention and deductible amounts under our insurance policies, and the estimated costs of potential claims and claim adjustment expenses that are above our coverage limits or that are not covered by our insurance policies. These estimated costs are based on an analysis of our historical claims and industry data, and include an estimate of claims incurred but not yet reported. |
| We engage a third-party actuary that uses our historical claim and expense data, as well as industry data, to estimate our liabilities related to unpaid claims, claim adjustment expenses, third-party recoveries and incurred but not yet reported claims associated with the risks that we are assuming under our self-insurance. These estimates are subject to uncertainty due to a variety of factors, the most significant being the long period of time between the delivery of a home to a homebuyer and when a structural warranty or construction defect claim is made, and the ultimate resolution of the construction defect claim. Though state regulations vary, construction defect claims are reported and resolved over a prolonged period of time, which can extend for 10 years or longer. As a result, the majority of the estimated liability relates to incurred but not yet reported claims. Because the majority of our estimated liabilities relate to incurred but not yet reported claims, adjustments related to individual existing claims generally do not significantly impact the overall estimated liability. Adjustments to our liabilities related to homes delivered in prior years are recorded in the period in which a change in our estimate occurs. |
| Income Taxes (ASC 740) | ' |
| In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”), we evaluate our deferred tax assets quarterly to determine if adjustments to the valuation allowance are required. ASC 740 requires that companies assess whether a valuation allowance should be established based on the consideration of all available positive and negative evidence using a “more likely than not” standard with respect to whether deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets depends primarily on the generation of future taxable income. |
| New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block] | ' |
| Recent Accounting Pronouncements. In July 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2013-11, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force)” (“ASU 2013-11”), which states that an unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit, should be presented in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward, except as follows. To the extent a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward is not available at the reporting date under the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction to settle any additional income taxes that would result from the disallowance of a tax position or the tax law of the applicable jurisdiction does not require the entity to use, and the entity does not intend to use, the deferred tax asset for such purpose, the unrecognized tax benefit should be presented in the financial statements as a liability and should not be combined with deferred tax assets. ASU 2013-11 applies to all entities that have unrecognized tax benefits when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists at the reporting date. The amendments in ASU 2013-11 are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments should be applied prospectively to all unrecognized tax benefits that exist at the effective date. Retrospective application is permitted. We believe the adoption of this guidance will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. |
