Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited, condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of NVR, Inc. (“NVR” or the “Company”) and its subsidiaries and certain other entities in which the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary (see Notes 2 and 3 to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements). Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. Because the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP, they should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals except as otherwise noted herein) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2018. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Certain prior period amounts in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation. These reclassifications did not impact total cash from operating, investing or financing activities in the statement of cash flows. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, comprehensive income equaled net income; therefore, a separate statement of comprehensive income is not included in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements Revenue from Contracts with Customers On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Revenue Recognition Consistent with the Company’s previous revenue recognition practice, homebuilding revenue is recognized on the settlement date at the contract sales price, when control is transferred to our customers. Mortgage banking revenue recognition will continue to be governed by Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 815 - Derivatives and Hedging and ASC Topic 825 - Financial Instruments, and is not subject to Topic 606. See Note 10 for disclosure of revenue by reporting segment. The Company’s contract liabilities, consisting of deposits received from customers (“Handmoney”) on homes not settled, were $167,676 and $172,033 as of September 30, 2018 and June 30, 2018, respectively. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company recognized in revenue approximately $91,000 of the Handmoney held as of June 30, 2018. For the nine month period ended September 30, 2018, the Company recognized substantially all of the $150,033 in Handmoney held as of December 31, 2017. The Company’s prepaid sales compensation totaled approximately $21,500 and $19,500, as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. These amounts are included in homebuilding “Other assets” on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. Deferred Revenue Topic 606 no longer requires sellers of real estate to consider the initial and continuing involvement criteria in ASC 360-20, but instead only conclude on the collectibility of the transaction price. On January 1, 2018, the Company recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment, net of tax, of $2,196 to recognize deferred profit on home settlements for which the Company had previously determined that there was significant continuing involvement and believed to be fully collectible. Practical Expedients and Exemption At contract inception, the performance obligation to complete and settle the home with a customer has an expected duration of less than one year. As a result, the Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts. No other adjustments were made as a result of the adoption of Topic 606. Other recently adopted accounting pronouncements The Company adopted ASU 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, effective January 1, 2018. In connection with the adoption of ASU 2016-15, the Company made the election to classify distributions received from unconsolidated joint ventures using the cumulative earnings approach. This election was applied retrospectively, which reclassified a portion of distributions received from the Company's unconsolidated joint ventures between operating and investing activities on the prior year condensed consolidated statement of cash flows. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company's condensed consolidated statements of cash flows and related disclosures. The Company adopted ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), Restricted Cash, effective January 1, 2018. The amendments in the standard require that the statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. As a result, the Company's beginning-of-period and end-of-period cash balances presented in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows were retrospectively adjusted to include restricted cash with cash and cash equivalents. The Company's cash and cash equivalents include short-term investments with original maturities of three months or less. Homebuilding restricted cash was attributable to customer deposits for certain home sales. Mortgage banking restricted cash included amounts collected from customers for loans in process and closed mortgage loans held for sale. The beginning-of-period and end-of-period cash, restricted cash, and cash equivalent balances presented on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of cash flows include cash related to a consolidated joint venture, which is included in homebuilding "Other assets" on the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets. The cash related to this consolidated joint venture as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was $335 and $1,069, respectively, and as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 was $1,177 and $1,214, respectively. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company's condensed consolidated statements of cash flows and related disclosures. The Company also adopted ASU 2017-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Scope of Modification Accounting, effective January 1, 2018. The amendments in the standard clarify when changes in a share-based payment award must be accounted for as a modification, and will allow entities to make certain changes to share-based payment awards without accounting for them as modifications. Under the new guidance, entities will only apply modification accounting if there are substantive changes made to share-based payment awards. If a change made to a share-based payment award does not affect the fair value, vesting conditions and classification as either an equity or liability instrument, modification accounting will not need to be applied. The adoption of this standard did not have any effect on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited, condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of NVR, Inc. (“NVR” or the “Company”) and its subsidiaries and certain other entities in which the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary (see Notes 2 and 3 to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements). Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. Because the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP, they should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals except as otherwise noted herein) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2018.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Certain prior period amounts in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation. These reclassifications did not impact total cash from operating, investing or financing activities in the statement of cash flows.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, comprehensive income equaled net income; therefore, a separate statement of comprehensive income is not included in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018.

Revenue Recognition

Consistent with the Company’s previous revenue recognition practice, homebuilding revenue is recognized on the settlement date at the contract sales price, when control is transferred to our customers. Mortgage banking revenue recognition will continue to be governed by Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 815 - Derivatives and Hedging and ASC Topic 825 - Financial Instruments, and is not subject to Topic 606. See Note 10 for disclosure of revenue by reporting segment.

The Company’s contract liabilities, consisting of deposits received from customers (“Handmoney”) on homes not settled, were $167,676 and $172,033 as of September 30, 2018 and June 30, 2018, respectively. During the third quarter of 2018, the Company recognized in revenue approximately $91,000 of the Handmoney held as of June 30, 2018. For the nine month period ended September 30, 2018, the Company recognized substantially all of the $150,033 in Handmoney held as of December 31, 2017.

The Company’s prepaid sales compensation totaled approximately $21,500 and $19,500, as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. These amounts are included in homebuilding “Other assets” on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Deferred Revenue

Topic 606 no longer requires sellers of real estate to consider the initial and continuing involvement criteria in ASC 360-20, but instead only conclude on the collectibility of the transaction price. On January 1, 2018, the Company recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment, net of tax, of $2,196 to recognize deferred profit on home settlements for which the Company had previously determined that there was significant continuing involvement and believed to be fully collectible.

Practical Expedients and Exemption

At contract inception, the performance obligation to complete and settle the home with a customer has an expected duration of less than one year. As a result, the Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts.

No other adjustments were made as a result of the adoption of Topic 606.

Other recently adopted accounting pronouncements

The Company adopted ASU 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, effective January 1, 2018. In connection with the adoption of ASU 2016-15, the Company made the election to classify distributions received from unconsolidated joint ventures using the cumulative earnings approach. This election was applied retrospectively, which reclassified a portion of distributions received from the Company's unconsolidated joint ventures between operating and investing activities on the prior year condensed consolidated statement of cash flows. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company's condensed consolidated statements of cash flows and related disclosures.

The Company adopted ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), Restricted Cash, effective January 1, 2018. The amendments in the standard require that the statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. As a result, the Company's beginning-of-period and end-of-period cash balances presented in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows were retrospectively adjusted to include restricted cash with cash and cash equivalents.

The Company's cash and cash equivalents include short-term investments with original maturities of three months or less. Homebuilding restricted cash was attributable to customer deposits for certain home sales. Mortgage banking restricted cash included amounts collected from customers for loans in process and closed mortgage loans held for sale.

The beginning-of-period and end-of-period cash, restricted cash, and cash equivalent balances presented on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of cash flows include cash related to a consolidated joint venture, which is included in homebuilding "Other assets" on the Company's condensed consolidated balance sheets. The cash related to this consolidated joint venture as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was $335 and $1,069, respectively, and as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016 was $1,177 and $1,214, respectively.

The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company's condensed consolidated statements of cash flows and related disclosures.

The Company also adopted ASU 2017-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Scope of Modification Accounting, effective January 1, 2018. The amendments in the standard clarify when changes in a share-based payment award must be accounted for as a modification, and will allow entities to make certain changes to share-based payment awards without accounting for them as modifications. Under the new guidance, entities will only apply modification accounting if there are substantive changes made to share-based payment awards. If a change made to a share-based payment award does not affect the fair value, vesting conditions and classification as either an equity or liability instrument, modification accounting will not need to be applied. The adoption of this standard did not have any effect on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.