Geographic Segments (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2012

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Revenue and income (loss) before income taxes and total assets

Revenue and income (loss) before income taxes for each of the Company’s geographic segments, for the periods indicated, were as follows (amounts in thousands):

	Six Months Ended April 30,						Three Months Ended April 30,
	2012			2011			2012			2011
Revenue:
North	$	186,733		$	167,120		$	111,153		$	84,623
Mid-Atlantic	204,405			203,392			103,606			99,578
South	158,834			128,359			82,368			66,454
West	145,664			154,920			76,554			69,020
Total	$	695,636		$	653,791		$	373,681		$	319,675
Income (loss) before income taxes:
North	$	17,731		$	14,467		$	16,684		$	7,398
Mid-Atlantic	18,804			15,099			7,729			6,414
South	4,046			(13,615		)	6,271			(12,271		)
West	9,043			(27,140		)	3,574			(11,897		)
Corporate and other	(40,383		)	(37,342		)	(18,609		)	(21,128		)
Total	$	9,241		$	(48,531	)	$	15,649		$	(31,484	)

Total assets for each of the Company’s geographic segments, as of the date indicated, are shown in the table below (amounts in thousands).

	April 30, 2012		October 31, 2011
North	$	1,232,656	$	1,060,215
Mid-Atlantic	1,258,758		1,160,926
South	776,620		760,097
West	803,832		650,844
Corporate and other	1,293,219		1,423,164
Total	$	5,365,085	$	5,055,246

Inventory impairment charges, net carrying value of investing, and write-downs of investments

nventory impairment charges and the expensing of costs that the Company believed not to be recoverable, write-downs of its investments in unconsolidated entities (including its pro-rata share of impairment charges recognized by the unconsolidated entities in which it has an investment) and recoveries of prior charges for the periods indicated, are shown in the table below; the net carrying value of inventory and investments in and advances to unconsolidated entities for each of the Company’s geographic segments, as of the dates indicated, are also shown in the table below (amounts in thousands).

	Net Carrying Value
	At April 30,		At October 31,		Six months ended April 30,					Three months ended April 30,
	2012		2011		2012			2011		2012			2011
Inventory:
Land controlled for future communities:
North	$	8,445	$	19,390	$	(996	)	$	399	$	(1,020	)	$	241
Mid-Atlantic	24,361		21,592		680			85		482			19
South	1,546		3,812		569			312		13			6
West	7,090		1,787		(28		)	1,052		(27		)	1,931
	41,442		46,581		225			1,848		(552		)	2,197
Land owned for future communities:
North	281,551		231,085
Mid-Atlantic	429,116		455,818
South	130,809		125,461		918
West	204,764		166,781
	1,046,240		979,145		918			—		—			—
Operating communities:
North	784,121		738,473		2,725			2,725		460			1,450
Mid-Atlantic	753,780		659,081		2,100			3,700		2,100			3,700
South	585,456		539,582		4,160			3,800					3,800
West	556,838		453,861					5,975					1,775
	2,680,195		2,390,997		8,985			16,200		2,560			10,725
Total	$	3,767,877	$	3,416,723	$	10,128		$	18,048	$	2,008		$	12,922
Investments in and advances to unconsolidated entities:
North	$	121,490	$	40,734
South	30,393		32,000					$	10,000				$	10,000
West	8,538		17,098		$	(1,621	)	29,600		$	(1,621	)	9,600
Corporate	39,871		36,523
Total	$	200,292	$	126,355	$	(1,621	)	$	39,600	$	(1,621	)	$	19,600