Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2012 community	Aug. 31, 2012	May 31, 2012	Feb. 29, 2012	Nov. 30, 2011 community	Aug. 31, 2011	May 31, 2011	Feb. 28, 2011	Nov. 30, 2012 lot property community		Nov. 30, 2011 property lot community		Nov. 30, 2010 property lot
Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments (Textual) [Abstract]
Number of land parcels or communities evaluated for recoverability									135		138		118
Pretax, noncash inventory impairment charges	$ (5,200,000)	$ (6,400,000)	$ (9,900,000)	$ (6,600,000)	$ (1,300,000)	$ (300,000)	$ (20,100,000)	$ (1,000,000)	$ (28,107,000)		$ (22,730,000)		$ (9,815,000)
Number of land parcels or communities associated with non cash inventory impairment charges									14		12		8
Post impairment fair value of land parcels or communities									39,900,000		34,000,000		11,600,000
Charges related to adjustment to the fair value of real estate											18,100,000
Aggregate carrying value of inventory impacted by pretax, noncash inventory impairment charges	307,200,000				338,500,000				307,200,000		338,500,000
Number of communities and various other land parcels impacted by pretax, noncash inventory impairment charges	46				53				46		53
Land option contract abandonment charges	400,000	0	0	0	1,000,000	800,000	500,000	800,000	426,000		3,061,000		10,110,000
Number of Lots on which abandonment charges are recognized									446		830		1,007
Remaining useful life in addition to specified useful lives									1 year
Specified period of remaining useful lives									10 years
Expected realization period of inventory maximum									5 years
Minimum
Discount Rate Used in Estimating Discounted Cash Flow [Line Items]
Fair Value Estimate Input at Average Selling Price									115,200	[1]	142,900	[1]	96,600	[1]
Fair Value Estimate Input at Sales for Period									1	[1]	1	[1]	3	[1]
Discount Rate Used in Estimating Discounted Cash Flow									17.00%	[1]	17.00%	[1]	17.00%	[1]
Maximum
Discount Rate Used in Estimating Discounted Cash Flow [Line Items]
Fair Value Estimate Input at Average Selling Price									$ 556,300	[1]	$ 391,900	[1]	$ 256,400	[1]
Fair Value Estimate Input at Sales for Period									6	[1]	10	[1]	6	[1]
Discount Rate Used in Estimating Discounted Cash Flow									20.00%	[1]	20.00%	[1]	20.00%	[1]

[1] The ranges of inputs used primarily reflect the underlying variability among the various housing markets where each of the impacted communities or land parcels are located, rather than fluctuations in prevailing market conditions.