Equity (Details 2)	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2012
Dividends [Abstract]
Minimum percentage of taxable income (excluding net capital gains) to be distributed in order to qualify as REIT	90.00%
Percentage of taxable income (including net capital gains) to be distributed in order to qualify as REIT	100.00%
Secured Credit Facility
Dividends [Abstract]
Percentage of REIT taxable income permitted for distribution under debt covenants	100.00%

Represents the percentage of taxable income that is permitted for distribution, under the terms of the debt covenant, if the entity maintains its REIT qualification.

No definition available.

Name:	sfi_DebtInstrumentCovenantPercentageOfTaxableIncomePermittedForDistributionIfReitClassificationIsMaintained
Namespace Prefix:	sfi_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration