Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(1)   Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Organization.  Beazer Homes USA, Inc. is one of the ten largest homebuilders in the United States, based on number of homes closed. We are a geographically diversified homebuilder with active operations in 16 states: Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Through September 30, 2010, we offered title insurance services to our homebuyers in many of our markets. Effective September 30, 2010 we exited the title services business. Over the past few years, we have discontinued homebuilding operations in certain of our markets. Results from our title services business and exit markets are reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations for all periods presented (see Note 15 for further discussion of our Discontinued Operations). We evaluated events that occurred after the balance sheet date but before the financial statements were issued or are available to be issued for accounting treatment and disclosure.

Presentation.  The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Beazer Homes USA, Inc. and our subsidiaries. Intercompany balances have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain items in prior period financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation.

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash.  We consider investments with maturities of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. At September 30, 2011, the majority of our cash and cash equivalents were invested in high-quality money market mutual funds, highly marketable securities, or on deposit with major banks, which were valued at par with no withdrawal restrictions. The underlying investments of these funds were predominately U.S. Government and U.S. Government Agency obligations. Restricted cash includes cash restricted by state law or a contractual requirement and, as of September 30, 2011 relates primarily to cash collateral for our cash secured term loan and outstanding letters of credit.

Accounts Receivable.  Accounts receivable primarily consist of escrow deposits to be received from title companies associated with closed homes. Generally, we receive cash from title companies within a few days of the home being closed.

Inventory.  Owned inventory consists solely of residential real estate developments. Interest, real estate taxes and development costs are capitalized in inventory during the development and construction period. Construction and land costs are comprised of direct and allocated costs, including estimated future costs for warranties and amenities. Land, land improvements and other common costs are typically allocated to individual residential lots on a pro-rata basis, and the costs of residential lots are transferred to construction in progress when home construction begins. Consolidated inventory not owned represents the fair value of land under option agreements of a variable interest entity (VIE) where the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE. VIEs are entities in which 1) equity investors do not have a controlling financial interest and/or 2) the entity is unable to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties. In addition, when our deposits and pre-acquisition development costs exceed certain thresholds, we record the remaining purchase price of the lots as consolidated inventory not owned and obligations related to consolidated inventory not owned in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Inventory Valuation — Held for Development.  Our homebuilding inventories that are accounted for as held for development include land and home construction assets grouped together as communities. Homebuilding inventories held for development are stated at cost (including direct construction costs, capitalized indirect costs, capitalized interest and real estate taxes) unless facts and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. We assess these assets no less than quarterly for recoverability. Generally, upon the commencement of land development activities, it may take three to five years (depending on, among other things, the size of the community and its sales pace) to fully develop, sell, construct and close all the homes in a typical community. However, the impact of the recent downturn in our business has significantly lengthened the estimated life of many communities. Recoverability of assets is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the expected undiscounted cash flows generated are expected to be less than its carrying amount, an impairment charge should be recorded to write down the carrying amount of such asset to its estimated fair value based on discounted cash flows.

When conducting our community level review for the recoverability of our homebuilding inventories held for development, we establish a quarterly “watch list” of communities with more than 10 homes remaining that carry profit margins in backlog and in our forecast that are below a minimum threshold of profitability. In our experience, this threshold represents a level of profitability that may be an indicator of conditions which would require an asset impairment but does not guarantee that such impairment will definitively be appropriate. As such, assets on the quarterly watch list are subject to substantial additional financial and operational analyses and review that consider the competitive environment and other factors contributing to profit margins below our watch list threshold. For communities where the current competitive and market dynamics indicate that these factors may be other than temporary, which may call into question the recoverability of our investment, a formal impairment analysis is performed. The formal impairment analysis consists of both qualitative competitive market analyses and a quantitative analysis reflecting market and asset specific information.

Our qualitative competitive market analyses include site visits to competitor new home communities and written community level competitive assessments. A competitive assessment consists of a comparison of our specific community with its competitor communities, considering square footage of homes offered, amenities offered within the homes and the communities, location, transportation availability and school districts, among many factors. In addition, we review the pace of monthly home sales of our competitor communities in relation to our specific community. We also review other factors such as the target buyer and the macro-economic characteristics that impact the performance of our assets, such as unemployment and the availability of mortgage financing, among other things. Based on this qualitative competitive market analysis, adjustments to our sales prices may be required in order to make our communities competitive. We incorporate these adjusted prices in our quantitative analysis for the specific community.

The quantitative analysis compares the projected future undiscounted cash flows for each such community with its current carrying value. This undiscounted cash flow analysis requires important assumptions regarding the location and mix of house plans to be sold, current and future home sale prices and incentives for each plan, current and future construction costs for each plan, and the pace of monthly sales to occur today and into the future.

There is uncertainty associated with preparing the undiscounted cash flow analysis because future market conditions will almost certainly be different, either better or worse, than current conditions. The single most important “input” to the cash flow analysis is current and future home sales prices for a specific community. The risk of over or under-stating any of the important cash flow variables, including home prices, is greater with longer-lived communities and within markets that have historically experienced greater home price volatility. In an effort to address these risks, we consider some home price and construction cost appreciation in future years for certain communities that are expected to be selling for more than three years and/or if the market has typically exhibited high levels of price volatility. Absent these assumptions on cost and sales price appreciation, we believe the long-term cash flow analysis would be unrealistic and would serve to artificially improve future profitability. Finally, we also ensure that the monthly sales absorptions, including historical seasonal differences of our communities and those of our competitors, used in our undiscounted cash flow analyses are realistic, consider our development schedules and relate to those achieved by our competitors for the specific communities.

If the aggregate undiscounted cash flows from our quantitative analysis are in excess of the carrying value, the asset is considered to be recoverable and is not impaired. If the aggregate undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying or book value, we perform a discounted cash flow analysis to determine the fair value of the community. The fair value of the community is estimated using the present value of the estimated future cash flows using discount rates commensurate with the risk associated with the underlying community assets. The discount rate used may be different for each community. The factors considered when determining an appropriate discount rate for a community include, among others: (1) community specific factors such as the number of lots in the community, the status of land development in the community, the competitive factors influencing the sales performance of the community and (2) overall market factors such as employment levels, consumer confidence and the existing supply of new and used homes for sale. If the determined fair value is less than the carrying value of the specific asset, the asset is considered not recoverable and is written down to its fair value plus the asset’s share of capitalized unallocated interest and other costs. The carrying value of assets in communities that were previously impaired and continue to be classified as held for development is not increased for future estimates of increases in fair value in future reporting periods. Due to uncertainties in the estimation process, particularly with respect to projected home sales prices and absorption rates, the timing and amount of the estimated future cash flows and discount rates, it is reasonably possible that actual results could differ from the estimates used in our impairment analyses.

Asset Valuation — Land Held for Future Development.  For those communities for which construction and development activities are expected to occur in the future or have been idled (land held for future development), all applicable interest and real estate taxes are expensed as incurred and the inventory is stated at cost unless facts and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. The future enactment of a development plan or the occurrence of events and circumstances may indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. We evaluate the potential development plans of each community in land held for future development if changes in facts and circumstances occur which would give rise to a more detailed analysis for a change in the status of a community to active status or held for development.

Asset Valuation — Land Held for Sale.  We record assets held for sale at the lower of the carrying value or fair value less costs to sell. The following criteria are used to determine if land is held for sale:

•  management has the authority and commits to a plan to sell the land;

•  the land is available for immediate sale in its present condition;

•  there is an active program to locate a buyer and the plan to sell the property has been initiated;

•  the sale of the land is probable within one year;

•  the property is being actively marketed at a reasonable sale price relative to its current fair value; and

•  it is unlikely that the plan to sell will be withdrawn or that significant changes to the plan will be made.

Additionally, in certain circumstances, management will re-evaluate the best use of an asset that is currently being accounted for as held for development. In such instances, management will review, among other things, the current and projected competitive circumstances of the community, including the level of supply of new and used inventory, the level of sales absorptions by us and our competition, the level of sales incentives required and the number of owned lots remaining in the community. If, based on this review and the foregoing criteria have been met at the end of the applicable reporting period, we believe that the best use of the asset is the sale of all or a portion of the asset in its current condition, then all or portions of the community are accounted for as held for sale.

In determining the fair value of the assets less cost to sell, we consider factors including current sales prices for comparable assets in the area, recent market analysis studies, appraisals, any recent legitimate offers, and listing prices of similar properties. If the estimated fair value less cost to sell of an asset is less than its current carrying value, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value less cost to sell. Due to uncertainties in the estimation process, it is reasonably possible that actual results could differ from the estimates used in our historical analyses.

Land Not Owned Under Option Agreements.  In addition to purchasing land directly, we utilize lot option agreements which generally enable us to defer acquiring portions of properties owned by third parties and unconsolidated entities until we have determined whether to exercise our lot option. A majority of our lot option contracts require a non-refundable cash deposit or irrevocable letter of credit based on a percentage of the purchase price of the land for the right to acquire lots during a specified period of time at a certain price. Under lot option contracts, purchase of the properties is contingent upon satisfaction of certain requirements by us and the sellers. Under lot option contracts our liability is generally limited to forfeiture of the non-refundable deposits, letters of credit and other non-refundable amounts incurred.

In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (GAAP), if the entity holding the land under option is a VIE, the Company’s deposit represents a variable interest in that entity. To determine whether we are the primary beneficiary of the VIE, we are first required to evaluate whether we have the ability to control the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance. Such activities include, but are not limited to, the ability to determine the budget and scope of land development work, if any; the ability to control financing decisions for the VIE; the ability to acquire additional land into the VIE or dispose of land in the VIE not under contract with Beazer; and the ability to change or amend the existing option contract with the VIE. If we are not determined to control such activities, we are not considered the primary beneficiary of the VIE and thus do not consolidate the VIE. If we do have the ability to control such activities, we will continue our analysis by determining if we are expected to absorb a potentially significant amount of the VIE’s losses or, if no party absorbs the majority of such losses, if we will benefit from potentially a significant amount of the VIE’s expected gains.

If we are the primary beneficiary of the VIE, we will consolidate the VIE and reflect such assets and liabilities as land not owned under option agreements in our balance sheets, though creditors of the VIE have no recourse against the Company. For VIEs we are required to consolidate, we record the remaining contractual purchase price under the applicable lot option agreement to land not owned under option agreements with an offsetting increase to obligations related to land not owned under option agreements. In recent years, the Company has canceled a significant number of lot option agreements, which has resulted in significant write-offs of the related deposits and pre-acquisition costs but has not exposed the Company to the overall risks or losses of the applicable VIEs.

Investments in Unconsolidated Joint Ventures.  We participate in a number of land development joint ventures in which we have less than a controlling interest. Our joint ventures are typically entered into with unrelated developers, other homebuilders and financial partners to develop finished lots for sale to the joint venture’s members and other third parties. We have determined that our interest in these joint ventures should be accounted for under the equity method. We recognize our share of profits from the sale of lots to other buyers. Our share of profits from lots we purchase from the joint ventures is deferred and treated as a reduction of the cost of the land purchased from the joint venture. Such profits are subsequently recognized at the time the home closes and title passes to the homebuyer. We evaluate our investments in unconsolidated entities for impairment during each reporting period in accordance with ASC 323, Investments — Equity Method and Joint Ventures. A series of operating losses of an investee or other factors may indicate that a decrease in the value of our investment in the unconsolidated entity has occurred which is other-than-temporary. The amount of impairment recognized is the excess of the investment’s carrying value over its estimated fair value. Our joint ventures typically obtain secured acquisition and development financing. See Note 3, Investments in Unconsolidated Joint Ventures.

Property, Plant and Equipment.  Property, plant and equipment is recorded at cost. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis at rates based on estimated useful lives as follows:

Buildings	15 — 30 years
Building improvements	Lesser of estimated useful life of the assets
Computer and office equipment	3 — 10 years
Information systems	Lesser of estimated useful life of the asset or 5 years
Furniture and fixtures	3 — 8 years
Model and sales office improvements	Lesser of estimated useful life of the asset or estimated useful life of the community
Leasehold improvements	Lesser of the lease term or the estimated useful life of the asset

Goodwill.  Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of assets acquired. From late fiscal 2006 through the first half of fiscal 2009, the deterioration of the housing industry resulted in an oversupply of inventory, reduced levels of demand, increased cancellation rates, aggressive price competition and increased incentives for homes sales. Based on our impairment tests and consideration of the current and expected future market conditions, over this time we determined that all of our goodwill was impaired. We recorded a non-cash, pre-tax goodwill impairment of $16.1 million in fiscal 2009. The Company has no goodwill remaining as of September 30, 2011.

Other Assets.  Other assets principally include prepaid expenses, debt issuance costs and deferred compensation plan assets.

Income Taxes.  The provision for income taxes is comprised of taxes that are currently payable and deferred taxes that relate to temporary differences between financial reporting carrying values and tax bases of assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities result from deductible or taxable amounts in future years when such assets and liabilities are recovered or settled and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the assets and liabilities are recovered or settled. We include any estimated interest and penalties on tax related matters in income taxes payable. We recognize the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition of measurement are recorded in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. We record interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.

Other Liabilities.  Other liabilities include the following:

	September 30,		September 30,
	2011		2010
	(In thousands)
Income tax liabilities	$	55,093	$	53,508
Accrued warranty expenses		17,916		25,821
Accrued interest		39,478		35,477
Accrued and deferred compensation		27,427		31,474
Customer deposits		5,868		3,678
Other		66,405		60,212
Total	$	212,187	$	210,170

Income Recognition and Classification of Costs.  Revenue and related profit are generally recognized at the time of the closing of a sale, when title to and possession of the property are transferred to the buyer. As appropriate, revenue for condominiums under construction is recognized based on the percentage-of-completion method, when certain criteria are met.

Sales discounts and incentives include items such as cash discounts, discounts on options included in the home, option upgrades (such as upgrades for cabinetry, countertops and flooring), and seller-paid financing or closing costs. In addition, from time to time, we may also provide homebuyers with retail gift certificates and/or other nominal retail merchandise. All sales incentives other than cash discounts are recognized as a cost of selling the home and are included in home construction and land sales expenses. Cash discounts are accounted for as a reduction in the sales price of the home.

Estimated future warranty costs are charged to cost of sales in the period when the revenues from home closings are recognized. Such estimated warranty costs generally range from 0.5% to 2.0% of total revenue. Additional warranty costs are charged to cost of sales as necessary based on management’s estimate of the costs to remediate existing claims. See Note 13 for a more detailed discussion of warranty costs and related reserves.

Advertising costs related to our continuing operations of $11.4 million, $11.2 million and $11.7 million for fiscal years 2011, 2010, and 2009, respectively, were expensed as incurred and are included in general and administrative expenses.

Earnings Per Share (EPS).  The computation of basic earnings per common share is determined by dividing net income applicable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS additionally gives effect (when dilutive) to stock options, other stock based awards and other potentially dilutive securities including the common shares issuable upon conversion of our Mandatory Convertible Subordinated Notes and Tangible Equity Unit prepaid stock purchase contracts. In computing diluted loss per share for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2011, 2010, and 2009, all common stock equivalents were excluded from the computation of diluted loss per share as a result of their anti-dilutive effect, including options/SSARs to purchase 1.9 million shares of common stock and 12.5 million and 12.9 million shares issuable upon the conversion of our Mandatory Convertible Notes and our TEU prepaid stock purchase contracts (based on the maximum potential shares upon conversion), respectively. See notes 7, 11 and 12 for further discussion of these common stock equivalents.

Fair Value Measurements.  Certain of our assets are required to be recorded at fair value on a non-recurring basis when events and circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recovered. We review our long-lived assets, including inventory for recoverability when factors that indicate an impairment may exist, but no less than quarterly. Fair value is based on estimated cash flows discounted for market risks associated with the long-lived assets. The fair value of certain of our financial instruments approximate their carrying amounts due to the short maturity of these assets and liabilities or the variable interest rates on such obligations. The fair value of our publicly held debt is generally estimated based on quoted bid prices for these instruments. Certain of our other financial instruments are estimated by discounting scheduled cash flows through maturity or using market rates currently being offered on loans with similar terms and credit quality. See Notes 4 and 8 for additional discussion of our fair value measurements.

Stock-Based Compensation.  We use the Black-Scholes model to value stock-settled appreciation rights (SSARs) and stock option grants. We estimate forfeitures in calculating the expense related to stock-based compensation. In addition, we reflect the benefits of tax deductions in excess of recognized compensation cost as a financing cash inflow and an operating cash outflow. Nonvested stock granted to employees is valued based on the market price of the common stock on the date of the grant. Performance based, nonvested stock granted to employees is valued using the Monte Carlo valuation method. Cash-settled, stock-based awards if, and when, granted to employees are initially valued based on the market price of the underlying common stock on the date of the grant and are adjusted to fair value until vested. Stock options issued to non-employees are valued using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Nonvested stock granted to non-employees is initially valued based on the market price of the common stock on the date of the grant and is adjusted to fair value until vested. Compensation cost arising from nonvested stock granted to employees, from cash-settled, stock-based employee awards and from non-employee stock awards is recognized as expense using the straight-line method over the vesting period. Although the Company may, from time to time grant cash-settled awards to employees, for the fiscal years ended and as of September 30, 2011, 2010 and 2009, there were no such awards either granted or outstanding.

Unearned compensation is included in paid in capital. As of September 30, 2011 and 2010, there was $4.0 million and $10.0 million, respectively, of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested stock. The cost remaining at September 30, 2011 is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.8 years.

Use of Estimates.  The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements.  In February 2007, the FASB issued SFAS 159, The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities — Including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115 (ASC 825). SFAS 159 (ASC 825) permits companies to measure certain financial instruments and other items at fair value. We have not elected the fair value option applicable under SFAS 159 (ASC 825).

In May 2008, the FASB issued FSP APB 14-1, Accounting for Convertible Debt Instruments That May Be Settled in Cash Upon Conversion (Including Partial Cash Settlement) (ASC 470). FSP APB 14-1 (ASC 470) applies to convertible debt instruments that have a “net settlement feature” permitting settlement partially or fully in cash upon conversion. FSP APB 14-1 (ASC 470) was effective for the Company beginning October 1, 2009. Due to the fact that the Company’s convertible securities cannot be settled in cash upon conversion, the adoption of FSP APB 14-1 (ASC 470) did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

In June 2009, the FASB revised its guidance regarding the determination of a primary beneficiary of a VIE. We adopted the revised provisions of ASC 810 on October 1, 2010. The amendments to ASC 810 replace the prior quantitative computations for determining which entity, if any, is the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The revision also increased the disclosures required about a reporting entity’s involvement with VIEs. Under these revised provisions, we determined that, for certain VIEs, we do not control the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance and, therefore, we are not the primary beneficiary of the VIE. In addition, we reviewed our non-VIE lot option agreements pursuant to ASC 470-40, Product Financing Arrangements. As a result, as of October 1, 2010, we deconsolidated land under four lot option agreements which reduced Land Not Owned Under Option Agreements and Obligations Related to Land Not Owned Under Options Agreements by $12.9 million.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted.  In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs. ASU 2011-04 clarifies some existing concepts, eliminates wording differences between U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and in some limited cases, changes some principles to achieve convergence between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. ASU 2011-04 results in a consistent definition of fair value and common requirements for measurement of and disclosure about fair value between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. ASU 2011-04 also expands the disclosures for fair value measurements that are estimated using significant unobservable (Level 3) inputs. ASU 2011-04 will be effective for the Company beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2011-04 to have a material effect on its operating results or financial position.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05, Presentation of Comprehensive Income, which requires an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income, or in two separate but consecutive statements. ASU 2011-05 eliminates the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of equity. ASU 2011-05 will be effective for the Company beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2011-05 to have a material effect on its operating results or financial position.