Segment Information (Segment Financial Information) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended
		Feb. 29, 2020	Feb. 28, 2019	Nov. 30, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory impairments and land option contract abandonments		$ 5,672	$ 3,555
Revenues:
Total revenues		1,075,935	811,483
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)		68,848	34,511
Inventories: Homes under Construction		1,306,344		$ 1,340,412
Inventories: Land under development		2,271,073		2,213,713
Inventories: Land held for future development or sale	[1]	151,199		150,477
Inventories		3,728,616		3,704,602
Assets
Total assets		5,052,834		5,015,482
Land Option Contract Abandonment [Member]
Pretax income (loss):
Land option contract abandonment charges		600	400
Home Building [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory impairments and land option contract abandonments		5,672	3,555
Revenues:
Total revenues		1,072,382	808,788
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)		63,035	32,038
Inventories		3,728,616		3,704,602
Assets
Total assets		5,019,022		4,977,086
Home Building [Member] | West Coast [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory impairments and land option contract abandonments		4,392	3,251
Revenues:
Total revenues		484,497	305,810
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)		34,029	17,916
Assets
Total assets		1,936,066		1,925,192
Home Building [Member] | Southwest [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory impairments and land option contract abandonments		171	59
Revenues:
Total revenues		191,318	157,656
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)		32,112	22,072
Assets
Total assets		732,656		674,310
Home Building [Member] | Central [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory impairments and land option contract abandonments		984	245
Revenues:
Total revenues		283,513	241,592
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)		22,678	18,583
Assets
Total assets		1,045,352		1,035,563
Home Building [Member] | Southeast [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Inventory impairments and land option contract abandonments		125	0
Revenues:
Total revenues		113,054	103,730
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)		2,630	(545)
Assets
Total assets		438,274		441,451
Home Building [Member] | Corporate and Other [Member]
Pretax income (loss):
Pretax income (loss)		(28,414)	$ (25,988)
Assets
Total assets		$ 866,674		$ 900,570

[1] Land held for sale totaled $21.3 million at February 29, 2020 and $19.3 million at November 30, 2019.