Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments	9 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2015
Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments [Abstract]
Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments	Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments Each community or land parcel in our owned inventory is assessed on a quarterly basis to determine if indicators of potential impairment exist. We record an inventory impairment charge when indicators of potential impairment exist and the carrying value of a real estate asset is greater than the undiscounted future net cash flows the asset is expected to generate. These real estate assets are written down to fair value, which is primarily based on the estimated future net cash flows discounted for inherent risk associated with each such asset. We evaluated 29 and 25 communities or land parcels for recoverability during the nine months ended August 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The carrying value of the communities or land parcels evaluated during the nine months ended August 31, 2015 and 2014 was $232.8 million and $207.4 million, respectively. Some of the communities or land parcels evaluated during the nine months ended August 31, 2015 and 2014 were evaluated in more than one quarterly period. Communities or land parcels evaluated for recoverability in more than one quarterly period, if any, are counted only once for each nine-month period shown. Based on the results of our evaluations, we recognized an inventory impairment charge of $3.2 million for the three months and nine months ended August 31, 2015 associated with a community located in Florida. We decided to change our operational and marketing strategy for this community in order to monetize our investment more quickly by accelerating the overall pace for selling, building and delivering homes primarily through lowering the average selling price of these homes. Significant quantitative unobservable inputs used in our fair value measurement with respect to this community included an average selling price of $178,100; four deliveries per month; and a discount rate of 20%. For the three months and nine months ended August 31, 2014, we recognized a $3.4 million inventory impairment charge associated with the then-planned sale of our last remaining land parcel in Atlanta, Georgia, a former market where we do not have ongoing operations. The land sale closed in the 2014 fourth quarter. As of August 31, 2015, the aggregate carrying value of our inventory that had been impacted by inventory impairment charges was $248.3 million, representing 25 communities and various other land parcels. As of November 30, 2014, the aggregate carrying value of our inventory that had been impacted by inventory impairment charges was $266.6 million, representing 33 communities and various other land parcels. Our inventory controlled under land option contracts and other similar contracts is assessed on a quarterly basis to determine whether it continues to meet our internal investment and marketing standards. When a decision is made not to exercise certain land option contracts and other similar contracts due to market conditions and/or changes in our strategy, we write off the related inventory costs, including non-refundable deposits and unrecoverable pre-acquisition costs. Based on the results of our assessments, we recognized land option contract abandonment charges of $.4 million corresponding to 740 lots for the three months ended August 31, 2015, and $1.0 million of such charges corresponding to 624 lots for the three months ended August 31, 2014. We recognized land option contract abandonment charges of $1.3 million corresponding to 1,166 lots for the nine months ended August 31, 2015, and $1.8 million of such charges corresponding to 1,306 lots for the nine months ended August 31, 2014. We sometimes abandon land option contracts and other similar contracts when we have incurred costs of less than $100,000; the corresponding lots, which totaled zero and 1,651 lots for the three months ended August 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and zero and 7,018 lots for the nine months ended August 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and the related costs are not included in the amounts above. Due to the judgment and assumptions applied in our inventory impairment and land option contract abandonment assessment processes, it is possible that actual results could differ substantially from those estimated.

Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments

Each community or land parcel in our owned inventory is assessed on a quarterly basis to determine if indicators of potential impairment exist. We record an inventory impairment charge when indicators of potential impairment exist and the carrying value of a real estate asset is greater than the undiscounted future net cash flows the asset is expected to generate. These real estate assets are written down to fair value, which is primarily based on the estimated future net cash flows discounted for inherent risk associated with each such asset. We evaluated 29 and 25 communities or land parcels for recoverability during the nine months ended August 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The carrying value of the communities or land parcels evaluated during the nine months ended August 31, 2015 and 2014 was $232.8 million and $207.4 million, respectively. Some of the communities or land parcels evaluated during the nine months ended August 31, 2015 and 2014 were evaluated in more than one quarterly period. Communities or land parcels evaluated for recoverability in more than one quarterly period, if any, are counted only once for each nine-month period shown.

Based on the results of our evaluations, we recognized an inventory impairment charge of $3.2 million for the three months and nine months ended August 31, 2015 associated with a community located in Florida. We decided to change our operational and marketing strategy for this community in order to monetize our investment more quickly by accelerating the overall pace for selling, building and delivering homes primarily through lowering the average selling price of these homes. Significant quantitative unobservable inputs used in our fair value measurement with respect to this community included an average selling price of $178,100; four deliveries per month; and a discount rate of 20%.

For the three months and nine months ended August 31, 2014, we recognized a $3.4 million inventory impairment charge associated with the then-planned sale of our last remaining land parcel in Atlanta, Georgia, a former market where we do not have ongoing operations. The land sale closed in the 2014 fourth quarter.

As of August 31, 2015, the aggregate carrying value of our inventory that had been impacted by inventory impairment charges was $248.3 million, representing 25 communities and various other land parcels. As of November 30, 2014, the aggregate carrying value of our inventory that had been impacted by inventory impairment charges was $266.6 million, representing 33 communities and various other land parcels.

Our inventory controlled under land option contracts and other similar contracts is assessed on a quarterly basis to determine whether it continues to meet our internal investment and marketing standards. When a decision is made not to exercise certain land option contracts and other similar contracts due to market conditions and/or changes in our strategy, we write off the related inventory costs, including non-refundable deposits and unrecoverable pre-acquisition costs. Based on the results of our assessments, we recognized land option contract abandonment charges of $.4 million corresponding to 740 lots for the three months ended August 31, 2015, and $1.0 million of such charges corresponding to 624 lots for the three months ended August 31, 2014. We recognized land option contract abandonment charges of $1.3 million corresponding to 1,166 lots for the nine months ended August 31, 2015, and $1.8 million of such charges corresponding to 1,306 lots for the nine months ended August 31, 2014. We sometimes abandon land option contracts and other similar contracts when we have incurred costs of less than $100,000; the corresponding lots, which totaled zero and 1,651 lots for the three months ended August 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and zero and 7,018 lots for the nine months ended August 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and the related costs are not included in the amounts above.

Due to the judgment and assumptions applied in our inventory impairment and land option contract abandonment assessment processes, it is possible that actual results could differ substantially from those estimated.