Variable Interest Entities

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2022

Variable Interest Entities [Abstract]

The Company holds investments in certain limited partnerships and similar entities that conduct land acquisition, land development and/or other homebuilding activities in various markets where our homebuilding operations are located, which are considered variable interests. The Company also has an interest in Jet Home Loans LLC (“Jet Home Loans” or “Jet LLC”), where the primary activities include underwriting, originating and selling home mortgages. The Company’s investments in these joint ventures create a variable interest in a variable interest entity (“VIE”), depending on the contractual terms of the arrangement. Additionally, the Company, in the ordinary course of business, enters into option contracts with third parties and unconsolidated entities for the ability to acquire rights to land for the construction of homes. Under these contracts, the Company typically makes a specified earnest money deposit in consideration for the right to purchase land in the future, usually at a predetermined price.

The VIEs are funded by initial capital contributions from the Company, as well as its other partners and generally do not have significant debt. In some cases, an unrelated third party is the general partner or managing member and in others, the general partner or managing member is a related party. The primary risk of loss associated with the Company’s involvement in these VIEs is limited to the Company’s initial capital contributions due to bankruptcy or insolvency of the VIE; however, management has deemed the likelihood of this as remote. The maximum exposure to loss related to the VIEs is disclosed below for both consolidated and unconsolidated VIEs, which equals the Company’s capital investment in each entity.

Management analyzes the Company’s investments first under the variable interest model to determine if they are VIEs and, if so, whether the Company is the primary beneficiary. Management determines whether the Company is the primary beneficiary of a VIE at the time it becomes involved with a VIE and reconsiders that conclusion if changes to the Company’s involvement arise. To make this determination, management considers factors such as whether the Company could direct finance, determine or limit the scope of the entity, sell or transfer property, direct development or direct other operating decisions. Management consolidates the entity if the Company is the primary beneficiary or if a standalone primary beneficiary does not exist and the Company and its related parties collectively meet the definition of a primary beneficiary. If the joint venture does not qualify as a VIE under the variable interest model, management then evaluates the entity under the voting interest model to assess if consolidation is appropriate.

Joint ventures for which the Company is not identified as the primary beneficiary are typically accounted for as equity method investments based on the voting interest model. The Company and its unconsolidated joint venture partners make initial and/or ongoing capital contributions to these unconsolidated joint ventures, typically on a pro rata basis, according to each party’s respective equity interests. The option to make capital contributions is governed by each such unconsolidated joint venture’s respective operating agreement and related governing documents. Partners in these unconsolidated joint ventures are unrelated homebuilders, land developers or other real estate entities.

For distributions received from these unconsolidated joint ventures, the Company has elected to use the cumulative earnings approach for the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Under the cumulative earnings approach, distributions up to the amount of cumulative equity in earnings recognized are treated as returns on investment within operating cash flows and those in excess of that amount are treated as returns of investment within investing cash flows.

The assets of a VIE can only be used to satisfy the obligations of that specific VIE, even for assets that are consolidated. The Company and its partners do not have an obligation to make capital contributions to the VIEs and there are no liquidity arrangements or other agreements that could require the Company to provide financial support to the VIEs. Furthermore, the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the Company’s general credit.

Consolidated VIEs

For VIEs that the Company does consolidate, management has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance. The Company typically serves as the party with homebuilding expertise in the VIE. The Company does not guarantee the debts of the VIEs, and creditors of the VIEs have no recourse against the Company. There were no new consolidated VIEs during the six months ended June 30, 2022 or 2021.

The table below displays the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities related to the consolidated VIEs (in thousands):


	As of June 30,		As of December 31,
Consolidated	2022		2021
Assets	$	15,796	$	30,830
Liabilities	$	6,881	$	10,203

Unconsolidated VIEs

For VIEs that the Company does not consolidate, the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance is held by a third party. These entities are accounted for as equity method investments. The Company’s maximum exposure to loss is limited to its investment in the entities because the Company is not obligated to provide any additional capital to or guarantee any of the unconsolidated VIEs’ debt.

The table below shows the Company’s investment in the unconsolidated VIEs (in thousands):


	As of June 30,		As of December 31,
Unconsolidated	2022		2021
Jet Home Loans	$	6,331	$	6,133
Other unconsolidated VIEs	7,857		9,834
Total investment in unconsolidated VIEs	$	14,188	$	15,967

Lot Option Contracts

None of the creditors of any of the land bank entities with which we enter into lot option contracts have recourse to our general credit. We generally do not have any specific performance obligations to purchase a certain number or any of the lots or guarantee any of the land bankers’ financial or other liabilities. We are not involved in the design or creation of the land bank entities from which we purchase lots under lot option contracts. The land bankers’ equity holders have the power to direct 100.0% of the operating activities of the land bank entity. We have no voting rights in any of the land bank entities. The sole purpose of the land bank entity’s activities is to generate positive cash flow returns for such entity’s equity holders. Further, we do not share any of the profit or loss generated by the project’s development. The profits and losses are passed directly to the land bankers’ equity holders.

The deposit placed by us pursuant to the lot option contracts is deemed to be a variable interest in the respective land bank entities. Certain of those land bank entities are deemed to be VIEs. Therefore, the land bank entities with which we enter into lot option contracts are evaluated for possible consolidation by the Company.

We believe the activities that most significantly impact a land bank entity’s economic performance are the operating activities of the land bank entity. In the case of development projects, unless and until a land bank entity delivers finished lots for sale, the land bank entity’s equity investors bear the risk of land ownership and do not earn any revenues. The operating development activities are managed by the land bank entity’s equity investors.We possess no more than limited protective legal rights through the lot option contracts in the specific finished lots we are purchasing, and we possess no participative rights in the land bank entities. Accordingly, we do not have the power to direct the activities of a land bank entity that most significantly impact its economic performance. For the aforementioned reasons, the Company concluded that it is not the primary beneficiary of the land bank entities with which it enters into lot option contracts, and therefore the Company does not consolidate any of these VIEs. These option contracts generally allow us, at our option, to forfeit our right to purchase the lots for any reason. Our sole legal obligation and economic loss as a result of such forfeitures is limited to the amount of the deposits paid pursuant to such option contracts including accrued interest, any related fees paid to the land bank partner, management of the development to completion and any cost overruns related to the project. The Company’s risk of loss related to finished lot option and land bank option contract deposits and related fees and interest was $355.2 million and $274.9 million as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Any potential cost overruns relative to the project cannot be quantified as the Company has not experienced any significant cost overruns historically.