Note 3 - Interest (Details) - Interest Costs Incurred, Expensed and Capitalized - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
		Jul. 31, 2015	Jul. 31, 2014	Jul. 31, 2015	Jul. 31, 2014
Interest Costs Incurred, Expensed and Capitalized [Abstract]
Interest capitalized at beginning of period		$ 119,901	$ 107,992	$ 109,158	$ 105,093
Plus interest incurred (1)	[1]	41,856	36,472	124,031	108,073
Less cost of sales interest expensed		16,323	15,827	39,654	37,724
Less other interest expensed (2)(3)	[2],[3]	22,493	19,880	70,594	66,685
Interest capitalized at end of period (4)	[4]	$ 122,941	$ 108,757	$ 122,941	$ 108,757

[1] Data does not include interest incurred by our mortgage and finance subsidiaries.

[2] Cash paid for interest, net of capitalized interest, is the sum of other interest expensed, as defined above, and interest paid by our mortgage and finance subsidiaries adjusted for the change in accrued interest on notes payable, which is calculated as follows:

[3] Other interest expensed includes interest that does not qualify for interest capitalization because our assets that qualify for interest capitalization (inventory under development) do not exceed our debt. Also includes interest on completed homes and land in planning, which does not qualify for capitalization, and therefore, is expensed.

[4] Capitalized interest amounts are shown gross before allocating any portion of impairments, if any, to capitalized interest.