Segment Information (Segment Financial Information) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	May. 31, 2015	May. 31, 2014	May. 31, 2015	May. 31, 2014	Nov. 30, 2014
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory, Homes under Construction	$ 1,120,574		$ 1,120,574		$ 928,272
Inventory, Real Estate, Land and Land Development Costs	1,714,790		1,714,790		1,710,149
Inventory, Land Held for Development and Sale	558,308		558,308		579,966
Inventory, Operative Builders	3,393,672		3,393,672		3,218,387
Revenues:
Total revenues	622,969	$ 565,007	1,203,090	$ 1,015,694
Pretax income (loss):
Total pretax income (loss)	12,673	26,924	23,172	37,687
Assets:
Total assets	5,039,060		5,039,060		4,757,550
Homebuilding [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues	620,804	562,396	1,198,692	1,010,663
Pretax income (loss):
Total pretax income (loss)	9,485	25,171	18,301	34,372
Assets:
Total assets	5,027,595		5,027,595		4,747,064
Financial services [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues	2,165	2,611	4,398	5,031
Pretax income (loss):
Total pretax income (loss)	3,188	1,753	4,871	3,315
Assets:
Total assets	11,465		11,465		10,486
West Coast [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory, Homes under Construction	639,285		639,285		536,843
Inventory, Real Estate, Land and Land Development Costs	708,611		708,611		765,577
Inventory, Land Held for Development and Sale	294,536		294,536		294,060
West Coast [Member] | Homebuilding [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues	277,288	260,320	554,543	442,041
Pretax income (loss):
Total pretax income (loss)	18,554	35,964	40,408	54,329
Assets:
Total assets	1,773,389		1,773,389		1,695,753
Southwest [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory, Homes under Construction	101,275		101,275		65,647
Inventory, Real Estate, Land and Land Development Costs	350,726		350,726		334,691
Inventory, Land Held for Development and Sale	127,063		127,063		138,367
Southwest [Member] | Homebuilding [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues	80,181	48,381	145,318	94,496
Pretax income (loss):
Total pretax income (loss)	5,245	3,771	8,688	5,056
Assets:
Total assets	619,215		619,215		579,201
Central [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory, Homes under Construction	241,858		241,858		201,164
Inventory, Real Estate, Land and Land Development Costs	399,294		399,294		363,933
Inventory, Land Held for Development and Sale	22,043		22,043		22,957
Central [Member] | Homebuilding [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues	176,348	172,384	335,496	297,546
Pretax income (loss):
Total pretax income (loss)	13,125	10,516	23,351	13,292
Assets:
Total assets	761,411		761,411		678,139
Southeast [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory, Homes under Construction	138,156		138,156		124,618
Inventory, Real Estate, Land and Land Development Costs	256,159		256,159		245,948
Inventory, Land Held for Development and Sale	114,666		114,666		124,582
Southeast [Member] | Homebuilding [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues	86,987	81,311	163,335	176,580
Pretax income (loss):
Total pretax income (loss)	(6,601)	(5,757)	(16,214)	(1,916)
Assets:
Total assets	549,531		549,531		531,011
Corporate and Other [Member] | Homebuilding [Member]
Pretax income (loss):
Total pretax income (loss)	(20,838)	(19,323)	(37,932)	(36,389)
Assets:
Total assets	1,324,049		1,324,049		$ 1,262,960
Land Option Contract Abandonment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loss on Contract Termination	536	357	984	790
Land Option Contract Abandonment [Member] | West Coast [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loss on Contract Termination	0	103	0	103
Land Option Contract Abandonment [Member] | Southwest [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loss on Contract Termination	0	0	0	0
Land Option Contract Abandonment [Member] | Central [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loss on Contract Termination	0	0	0	433
Land Option Contract Abandonment [Member] | Southeast [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loss on Contract Termination	$ 536	$ 254	$ 984	$ 254