Information on Geographic Segments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2012

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

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

The table below summarizes revenue and income (loss) before income taxes for each of the Company’s geographic segments for each of the fiscal years ended October 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 (amounts in thousands):

	Revenues						Income (loss) before income taxes
	2012		2011		2010		2012			2011			2010
North	$	513,724	$	381,569	$	407,723	$	71,836		$	42,525		$	(2,296	)
Mid-Atlantic	564,434		499,747		488,359		67,768			57,606			33,946
South	366,701		285,012		264,321		18,000			(25,936		)	(35,193		)
West	437,922		309,553		334,368		39,383			(27,113		)	(11,895		)
Corporate and other							(84,045		)	(76,448		)	(101,749		)
Total	$	1,882,781	$	1,475,881	$	1,494,771	$	112,942		$	(29,366	)	$	(117,187	)

Total assets for each of the Company’s geographic segments at October 31, 2012 and 2011 are shown in the table below (amounts in thousands):

	2012		2011
North	$	1,205,900	$	1,060,215
Mid-Atlantic	1,304,798		1,160,926
South	821,001		760,097
West	913,699		650,844
Corporate and other	1,935,646		1,423,164
Total	$	6,181,044	$	5,055,246

Segment Reporting Inventory impairment charges and Costs of Inventory and Investments [Text Block]

The Company provided for inventory impairment charges and the expensing of costs that it believed not to be recoverable and write-downs of investments in unconsolidated entities (including the Company’s pro-rata share of impairment charges recognized by the unconsolidated entities in which it has an investment) for the years ended October 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, as 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 at October 31, 2012 and 2011 is also shown (amounts in thousands).

	Net Carrying Value				Impairments
	At October 31,				Year ended October 31,
	2012		2011		2012			2011		2010
Inventory:
Land controlled for future communities:
North	$	13,196	$	19,390	$	(881	)	$	948	$	3,947
Mid-Atlantic	27,249		21,592		327			307		(81		)
South	7,724		3,812		800			313		(233		)
West	8,131		1,787		205			16,184		2,436
	56,300		46,581		451			17,752		6,069
Land owned for future communities:
North	226,082		231,085							15,900
Mid-Atlantic	431,620		455,818		300			300		9,000
South	141,644		125,461		918			16,700		13,950
West	241,027		166,781							16,850
	1,040,373		979,145		1,218			17,000		55,700
Operating communities:
North	803,085		738,473		2,725			2,885		9,557
Mid-Atlantic	729,739		659,081		5,500			3,700		2,100
South	603,239		539,582		4,245			3,800		23,444
West	528,451		453,861		600			6,700		18,388
	2,664,514		2,390,997		13,070			17,085		53,489
Total	$	3,761,187	$	3,416,723	$	14,739		$	51,837	$	115,258
Investments in and advances to unconsolidated entities:
North	$	142,213	$	40,734
South	31,252		32,000					15,170
West	116,452		17,098		(2,311		)	25,700
Corporate	40,700		36,523
Total	$	330,617	$	126,355	$	(2,311	)	$	40,870	$	—