Other Liabilities (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011
Other Liabilities [Line Items]
Completed operations	$ 117,129	$ 109,390	$ 115,103
Warranty reserves	16,346	17,358
Deferred revenue	26,886	20,329
Provisions for closed homes/communities	8,842	13,156
Deposits	16,569	7,766
Legal reserves	7,146	5,824
Accrued interest	8,086	8,122
Accrued compensation and benefits	3,805	2,109
Distributions payable	3,073	3,344
Deficit Distributions (see Note 8)	846	928
Other	7,368	11,325
Total other liabilities	$ 216,096	$ 199,651