Variable Interest Entities (Details) (USD $)	May 31, 2014	Nov. 30, 2013
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Cash Deposits	$ 30,225,000	$ 41,565,000
Aggregate Purchase Price	928,607,000	1,151,496,000
Pre-acquisition costs related to land option contracts and other similar contracts	37,000,000	31,000,000
Outstanding letters of credit	100,000	100,000
Increase in inventories and accrued expenses and other liabilities	4,900,000	8,900,000
Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Cash Deposits	10,223,000	11,063,000
Aggregate Purchase Price	461,236,000	616,000,000
Non-VIE Other land option contracts and other similar contracts [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Cash Deposits	20,002,000	30,502,000
Aggregate Purchase Price	$ 467,371,000	$ 535,496,000