Other Income - Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2016	Jan. 31, 2015
Other Nonoperating Income By Component [Line Items]
Interest income	$ 404	$ 488
Income from Ancillary Businesses	3,729	10,839
Management fee income from unconsolidated entities	2,107	2,979
Retained customer deposits	2,113	1,340
Income from land sales	3,998	4,817
Other	541	731
Total other income - net	13,720	22,016
Revenues and expenses of non-core ancillary businesses
Revenue	24,869	31,280
Expense	21,140	20,441
Revenues and expenses from land sales [Abstract]
Revenue	10,691	104,021
Expense	6,693	89,944
Income from land sales	3,998	4,817
Gibraltar [Member]
Other Nonoperating Income By Component [Line Items]
Gibraltar	$ 828	822
Home Building Joint Venture Metro New York Three [Member]
Revenues and expenses from land sales [Abstract]
Revenue		78,500
Deferred gain on land sale to joint venture		$ (9,260)