Other income (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2018	Jul. 31, 2018	Apr. 30, 2018	Jan. 31, 2018	Oct. 31, 2019	Oct. 31, 2018	Oct. 31, 2017
Other Nonoperating Income By Component [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax	$ 2,455,238	$ 1,913,353	$ 1,599,199	$ 1,175,468	$ 7,223,966	$ 7,143,258	$ 5,815,058
Expense					5,808,618	5,673,007	4,562,303
Land sales earnings, net					$ 0	6,331	8,621
Land sales prior [Member]
Other Nonoperating Income By Component [Line Items]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Including Assessed Tax						134,327	284,928
Expense						127,996	281,030
Home Building Joint Venture Metro New York Three [Member]
Other Nonoperating Income By Component [Line Items]
Deferred Revenue, Revenue Recognized							$ 4,723