Note 4 - Reduction of Inventory to Fair Value (Details Textual) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Jul. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Jul. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Jul. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Oct. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Number of Communities Evaluated for Impairment			398	405
Number of Communities Performed Detailed Impairment Calculations			7	5
Carrying Value of Communities Tested for Impairment			$ 52,800	$ 11,200
Impairment of Real Estate	$ 100	$ 0	1,100	2,100
Homebuilding [Member]
Impairment of Real Estate	$ 100	0	$ 1,100	$ 2,100
Number of Communities Impaired	1		4	5
PreImpairment Value	$ 1,200		$ 11,400	$ 11,200
Number of Communities Tested for Impairment for Which Undiscounted Future Cash Flow Only Exceeded Carrying Amount By Less Than 20 Percent			3	0
Carrying Value of Communities Tested for Impairment for Which Undiscounted Future Cash Flow Only Exceeded Carrying Amount by Less than 20 Percent			$ 41,300
Percentage Undiscounted Cash Flow Exceeds Carrying Amount			20.00%	20.00%
Land Option Write Offs	$ 1,300	$ 100	$ 2,500	$ 1,100
Number of Walk Away Lots	1,852	76	4,022	1,417
Number of Communities Mothballed During the Period			0
Number of Previously Mothballed Communities Sold During the Period			2
Number of Mothballed Communities Reactivated			2
Number of Communities Mothballed	14		14		18
Inventory Real Estate Mothballed Communities	$ 14,200		$ 14,200		$ 24,500
Inventory Real Estate Mothballed Communities Accumulated Impairment Charges	146,900		146,900		186,100
Liabilities from Inventory Real Estate Not Owned	138,441		138,441		63,387
Homebuilding [Member] | Model Sale Leaseback Financing Arrangements [Member]
Inventory Real Estate, Other Options	55,800		55,800		50,500
Liabilities from Inventory Real Estate Not Owned	50,700		50,700		43,900
Homebuilding [Member] | Land Banking Arrangement [Member]
Inventory Real Estate, Other Options	123,800		123,800		37,400
Liabilities from Inventory Real Estate Not Owned	$ 87,700		$ 87,700		$ 19,500
Minimum [Member] | Homebuilding [Member] | Measurement Input, Discount Rate [Member]
Inventory, Measurement Input			18	16.8
Maximum [Member] | Homebuilding [Member] | Measurement Input, Discount Rate [Member]
Inventory, Measurement Input			18.3	19.8