Basis of Financial Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Financial Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013 Common Stock [Member]	Jun. 19, 2013 Common Stock [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Series A Contingent Convertible Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock [Member]	Jun. 19, 2013 Series A Contingent Convertible Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares agreed to sell (shares)				2,557,474		665,754
Common Stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 1	$ 1	$ 1.00
Sales price per share (in dollars per share)				$ 14.65		$ 146
TPG's aggregate investment in AV homes	$ 135,000
Preferred Stock, par value (in dollars per share)						$ 0.10
Sale of stock, transaction fees					$ 7