Inventory (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Oct. 31, 2011

Inventory (Tables) [Abstract]

Total Inventory

	2011		2010
Land controlled for future communities	$	46,581	$	31,899
Land owned for future communities		979,145		923,972
Operating communities		2,390,997		2,285,854
	$	3,416,723	$	3,241,725

Temporarily Closed communities

	2011		2010		2009
Land owned for future communities:
Number of communities		43		36		16
Carrying value (in thousands)	$	256,468	$	212,882	$	75,942
Operating communities:
Number of communities		2		13		16
Carrying value (in thousands)	$	11,076	$	78,100	$	91,477

Inventory impairment charges and expensing of costs that it is believed not to be recoverable

	2011		2010		2009
Land controlled for future communities	$	17,752	$	6,069	$	28,518
Land owned for future communities		17,000		55,700		169,488
Operating communities		17,085		53,489		267,405
	$	51,837	$	115,258	$	465,411

Periods indicated, the number of operating communities, impairment charges and fair value of communities net of impairment charges

			Impaired Communities
					Fair Value of
					Communities
	Number of				Net of
	Communities		Number of		Impairment		Impairment
Three months ended:	Tested		Communities		Charges		Charges
Fiscal 2011:
January 31		143		6	$	56,105	$	5,475
April 30		142		9	$	40,765		10,725
July 31		129		2	$	867		175
October 31		114		3	$	3,367		710
							$	17,085
Fiscal 2010:
January 31		260		14	$	60,519	$	22,750
April 30		161		7	$	53,594		15,020
July 31		155		7	$	21,457		6,600
October 31		144		12	$	39,209		9,119
							$	53,489
Fiscal 2009:
January 31		289		41	$	216,227	$	108,300
April 30		288		36	$	181,790		67,410
July 31		288		14	$	67,713		46,822
October 31		254		21	$	116,379		44,873
							$	267,405

Interest incurred, capitalized and expensed

	2011			2010			2009
Interest capitalized, beginning of year	$	267,278		$	259,818		$	238,832
Interest incurred		114,761			114,975			118,026
Interest expensed to cost of revenues		(77,623	)		(75,876	)		(78,661	)
Interest directly expensed to statement of operations		(1,504	)		(22,751	)		(7,949	)
Write-off against other income		(1,155	)		(8,369	)		(10,116	)
Interest reclassified to property, construction and office equipment		(3,000	)		(519	)
Capitalized interest applicable to inventory transferred to joint ventures								(314	)
Interest capitalized, end of year	$	298,757		$	267,278		$	259,818