BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended										9 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2012	Oct. 31, 2013	Oct. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2014	Jan. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2013	Jan. 31, 2014 IRET [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Real Estate Development Company [Member]	Jun. 30, 2013 Chateau Apartment Flood, 2012 [Member]	Jul. 31, 2013 Chateau Apartment Fire, 2012 [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Chateau Apartment Fire, 2012 [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Chateau Apartment Fire, 2012 [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Chateau Apartment Fire, 2012 [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Chateau Apartment, Fire 2013 [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Chateau Apartment, Fire 2013 [Member] Building One [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Chateau Apartment, Fire 2013 [Member] Building Two [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Acquired below-market leases and acquired above-market leases [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 Acquired below-market leases and acquired above-market leases [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Acquired below-market leases and acquired above-market leases [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 Acquired below-market leases and acquired above-market leases [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Other identified intangible assets [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 Other identified intangible assets [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Other identified intangible assets [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 Other identified intangible assets [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Dacotah Bank, Minot, North Dakota [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 United Community Bank, Minot, North Dakota [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 First International Bank, Watford City, North Dakota [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Peoples State Bank of Velva, North Dakota [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Equity Bank, Minnetonka, Minnesota [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Associated Bank, Green Bay, Wisconsin [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 American National Bank, Omaha, Nebraska [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 United Community Bank and Equity Bank [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Anoka, Minnesota [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Bloomington, Minnesota [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Clive, Iowa [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Roseville, Minnesota [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 St. Louis Park, Minnesota [Member]	Jan. 31, 2014 Five commercial properties [Member]
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES [Abstract]
Interest in common units in operating partnership (in hundredths)				83.10%		82.40%
Redemption basis				one-for-one
Redemptions by limited partner, maximum				2
Number of units to redeem, minimum (in units)				1,000
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Impairment of retail property				$ 6,658,000	$ 0																												$ 265,000	$ 329,000	$ 402,000	$ 4,800,000	$ 864,000	$ 6,700,000
Impairment of retail property attributable to discontinued operations				1,900,000
Compensating Balances [Line Items]
Compensating balances				8,200,000																					350,000	275,000	6,100,000	225,000	300,000	600,000	400,000	643,000
Decrease in lender holdbacks				2,186,000	1,514,000
Increase in lender holdbacks				12,388,000	1,962,000
IDENTIFIED INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND INTANGIBLE LIABILITIES AND GOODWILL [Abstract]
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired				900,000	813,000
Weighted average lives of intangible assets and intangible liabilities				7 months	6 months
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross, Total				56,711,000		68,165,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization				(22,703,000)		(27,708,000)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net, Total				34,008,000		40,457,000
Indentified intangible liabilities, gross				173,000		391,000
Indentified intangible liabilities, accumulated amortization				(123,000)		(296,000)
Indentified intangible liabilities, net				50,000		95,000
Amortization of Intangible Assets																	(11,000)	(8,000)	(32,000)	(28,000)	1,500,000	1,200,000	6,900,000	4,100,000
Estimated annual amortization [Abstract]
2015																	22,000		22,000		4,959,000		4,959,000
2016																	19,000		19,000		4,567,000		4,567,000
2017																	11,000		11,000		4,099,000		4,099,000
2018																	(2,000)		(2,000)		3,667,000		3,667,000
2019																	(3,000)		(3,000)		3,543,000		3,543,000
Goodwill				1,100,000		1,106,000
Goodwill derecognized				7,000
RECLASSIFICATIONS [Abstract]
Number of commercial industrial properties sold				12
Number of commercial office properties sold				3
Number of commercial retail properties sold				3		1
Number of commercial industrial held for sale				0	4
Number of multi-family residential properties sold			2	2	1	3
Number of commercial healthcare properties sold						1
Number of condominium units sold	2		2			4
Impaired Long-Lived Assets Held and Used [Line Items]
Number of buildings									2
Number of Units									32						15	57
Insurance proceeds received										966,000	2,900,000	1,300,000	409,000
Gain (Loss) on asset conversion										966,000	2,300,000	1,500,000
Impairment of asset recorded														7,100,000
Insurance Settlements Receivable														7,100,000
Estimated loss on conversion														882,000
PROCEEDS FROM FINANCING LIABILITY [Abstract]
Proceeds from sale of non-core assisted living property				7,900,000
Amount of deed contract				29,000,000
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Estimated total costs of joint venture project			$ 52,200,000
Percentage of project financed with third-party debt in joint venture (in hundredths)		69.00%
Percentage of project financed with IRET in joint venture (in hudnredths)		7.00%
Percentage of ownership in VIE (in hundredths)							51.00%	49.00%