Segment Information (Details) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
		Nov. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2019 USD ($)	May 31, 2019 USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2019 USD ($)	Nov. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2018 USD ($)	May 31, 2018 USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2018 USD ($)	Nov. 30, 2019 USD ($) segment	Nov. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Nov. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 01, 2018 USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory, Homes under Construction		$ 1,340,412				$ 1,125,152				$ 1,340,412	$ 1,125,152
Inventory, Real Estate, Land and Land Development Costs		2,213,713				2,219,936				2,213,713	2,219,936
Inventory, Land Held for Development and Sale	[1]	150,477				237,751				150,477	237,751
Inventories		3,704,602				3,582,839				3,704,602	3,582,839
Revenues:
Total Revenues										4,552,747	4,547,002	$ 4,368,529
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)		164,967	$ 91,936	$ 56,761	$ 34,511	128,936	$ 114,676	$ 78,308	$ 46,045	348,175	367,965	289,995
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures:
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures										10,681	9,367	2,825
Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments		4,148	$ 5,251	$ 4,337	$ 3,555	9,069	$ 8,414	$ 6,526	$ 4,985	17,291	28,994	25,232
Assets
Total assets		$ 5,015,482				5,073,571				$ 5,015,482	5,073,571
Homebuilding:
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of Reportable Segments | segment										4
Financial services [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of Reportable Segments | segment										1
KBHS, LLC [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Ownership interest in joint venture		50.00%								50.00%
Stearns Lending, LLC [Member] | KBHS, LLC [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Ownership interest in joint venture		50.00%								50.00%
Land Option Contract Abandonment [Member]
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures:
Loss on Contract Termination										$ 3,300	2,900	4,600
Homebuilding:
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventories		$ 3,704,602				3,582,839				3,704,602	3,582,839		$ 3,547,551
Revenues:
Total Revenues										4,537,658	4,533,795	4,356,265
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)										325,189	351,301	276,927
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures:
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures										(1,549)	2,066	(1,409)
Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments										17,291	28,994	25,232
Assets
Total assets		4,977,086				5,061,191				4,977,086	5,061,191
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures:
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures		57,038				61,960				57,038	61,960
Homebuilding: | Homebuilding:
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)										325,189	351,301	276,927
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures:
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures										(1,549)	2,066	(1,409)
Assets
Total assets		4,977,086				5,061,191				4,977,086	5,061,191
Homebuilding: | Corporate and Other [Member]
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)										(108,759)	(105,286)	(101,851)
Assets
Total assets		900,570				1,068,452				900,570	1,068,452
Homebuilding: | Central [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventories		889,179				865,184				889,179	865,184
Revenues:
Total Revenues										1,267,892	1,239,305	1,188,839
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)										126,304	117,609	116,098
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures:
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures										0	0	0
Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments										848	2,558	846
Assets
Total assets		1,035,563				1,017,490				1,035,563	1,017,490
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures:
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures		0				0				0	0
Homebuilding: | West Coast [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventories		1,795,088				1,727,993				1,795,088	1,727,993
Revenues:
Total Revenues										1,912,146	2,085,328	2,186,411
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)										178,078	240,337	217,649
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures:
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures										(851)	(966)	(1,770)
Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments										15,567	20,381	16,707
Assets
Total assets		1,925,192				1,880,516				1,925,192	1,880,516
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures:
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures		51,740				56,128				51,740	56,128
Homebuilding: | Southeast [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventories		390,524				391,288				390,524	391,288
Revenues:
Total Revenues										592,804	502,087	447,963
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)										18,550	7,624	(509)
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures:
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures										(1)	(1)	(1)
Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments										468	5,623	4,234
Assets
Total assets		441,451				463,224				441,451	463,224
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures:
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures		2,506				2,505				2,506	2,505
Homebuilding: | Southwest [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventories		629,811				598,374				629,811	598,374
Revenues:
Total Revenues										764,816	707,075	533,052
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)										111,016	91,017	45,540
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures:
Equity in income (loss) of unconsolidated joint ventures										(697)	3,033	362
Inventory Impairments and Land Option Contract Abandonments										408	432	$ 3,445
Assets
Total assets		674,310				631,509				674,310	631,509
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures:
Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures		$ 2,792				$ 3,327				$ 2,792	$ 3,327

[1] Land held for sale totaled $19.3 million at November 30, 2019 and $9.8 million at November 30, 2018.