Notes Payable

12 Months Ended

Nov. 30, 2024

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Notes Payable

Notes Payable

Notes payable consisted of the following (in thousands):

	November 30,
	2024	2023
Senior unsecured term loan due August 25, 2026	$358,826	$358,156
6.875% Senior notes due June 15, 2027	298,560	298,062
4.80% Senior notes due November 15, 2029	297,932	297,572
7.25% Senior notes due July 15, 2030	346,574	346,101
4.00% Senior notes due June 15, 2031	386,638	386,199
Mortgages and land contracts due to land sellers and other loans (at an interest rate of 4.3% at November 30, 2024 and 3.0% to 4.5% at November 30, 2023)	3,149	3,808
Total	$1,691,679	$1,689,898

The carrying amounts of the Term Loan and senior notes listed above are net of debt issuance costs, which totaled $11.5

million at November 30, 2024 and $13.9 million at November 30, 2023.

Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility.  We have a $1.09 billion Credit Facility that will mature on February 18, 2027.  The

Credit Facility contains an uncommitted accordion feature under which its aggregate principal amount of available loans can be

increased to a maximum of $1.29 billion under certain conditions, including obtaining additional bank commitments.  The

Credit Facility also contains a sublimit of $250.0 million for the issuance of letters of credit.  Interest on amounts borrowed

under the Credit Facility accrues at an adjusted term SOFR or a base rate, plus a spread that depends on our Leverage Ratio, as

defined under the Credit Facility.  Interest is payable quarterly (base rate) or each month or three months (adjusted term SOFR). 

The Credit Facility also requires the payment of a commitment fee at a per annum rate ranging from .15% to .35% of the

unused commitment, based on our Leverage Ratio.  Under the terms of the Credit Facility, we are required, among other things,

to maintain compliance with various covenants, including financial covenants relating to our consolidated tangible net worth,

Leverage Ratio, and either an Interest Coverage Ratio or a minimum level of liquidity, each as defined therein.  Our obligations

to pay borrowings under the Credit Facility are guaranteed on a joint and several basis by our Guarantor Subsidiaries.  The

amount of the Credit Facility available for cash borrowings and the issuance of letters of credit depends on the total cash

borrowings and letters of credit outstanding under the Credit Facility and the maximum available amount under the terms of the

Credit Facility.  As of November 30, 2024, we had no cash borrowings and $8.3 million of letters of credit outstanding under

the Credit Facility. Therefore, as of November 30, 2024, we had $1.08 billion available for cash borrowings under the Credit

Facility, with up to $241.7 million of that amount available for the issuance of letters of credit. 

Senior Unsecured Term Loan.  We have a Term Loan with the lenders party thereto that will mature on August 25, 2026,

or earlier if we secure borrowings under the Credit Facility without similarly securing the Term Loan (subject to certain

exceptions).  Interest under the Term Loan accrues at an adjusted term SOFR or a base rate, plus a spread that depends on our

Leverage Ratio.  Interest is payable quarterly (base rate) or each month or three months (adjusted term SOFR).  The Term Loan

contains various covenants that are substantially the same as those under the Credit Facility.  The proceeds drawn under the

Term Loan are guaranteed on a joint and several basis by our Guarantor Subsidiaries.  As of November 30, 2024 and 2023, the

weighted average annual interest rates on our outstanding borrowings under the Term Loan were 6.0% and 6.8%, respectively.

LOC Facility. We maintain a LOC Facility to obtain letters of credit from time to time in the ordinary course of operating

our business.  On September 12, 2024, we entered into an amendment to the LOC Facility that increased the limit of letters of

credit we may issue under it from $75.0 million to $100.0 million, and extended the expiration date from February 18, 2027 to

February 13, 2028.  As of November 30, 2024 and 2023, we had letters of credit outstanding under the LOC Facility of $73.3

million and $12.5 million, respectively. 

Senior Notes.  All the senior notes outstanding at November 30, 2024 and 2023 represent senior unsecured obligations that

are guaranteed by certain of our subsidiaries and rank equally in right of payment with all of our and our Guarantor

Subsidiaries’ existing unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness.  All of our senior notes were issued in underwritten public

offerings.  Interest on each of these senior notes is payable semi-annually.

The key terms of each of our senior notes outstanding as of November 30, 2024 were as follows (dollars in thousands):

				Redeemable Prior to Maturity	Effective Interest Rate
Notes Payable	Principal	Issuance Date	Maturity Date
6.875% Senior notes	$300,000	February 20, 2019	June 15, 2027	Yes (a)	7.1%
4.80% Senior notes	300,000	November 4, 2019	November 15, 2029	Yes (a)	5.0
7.25% Senior notes	350,000	June 22, 2022	July 15, 2030	Yes (b)	7.5
4.00% Senior notes	390,000	June 9, 2021	June 15, 2031	Yes (a)	4.2

(a)At our option, these notes may be redeemed, in whole at any time or from time to time in part, at a redemption price equal

to the greater of (i) 100% of the principal amount of the notes being redeemed and (ii) the sum of the present values of the

remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the notes being redeemed (exclusive of interest accrued to the

applicable redemption date), discounted to the redemption date at a defined rate, plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid

interest on the notes being redeemed to, but excluding, the applicable redemption date, except that six months prior to the

stated maturity date for these notes, the redemption price will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes being

redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest on the notes being redeemed to, but excluding, the applicable redemption date.

(b)At our option, these notes may be redeemed, in whole at any time or in part from time to time prior to July 15, 2025, at a

redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes being redeemed plus a “make whole” premium, plus

accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.  In addition, at any time or from time to time prior to July 15,

2025, an amount not to exceed the net proceeds of qualified equity offerings may be used at our option to redeem up to

40% of the aggregate principal amount of these notes, at a redemption price equal to 107.250% of the principal amount of

the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding the redemption date.  We may also

elect to redeem the notes in whole at any time or in part from time to time, on or after July 15, 2025, at the applicable

specified redemption price, including accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.

If a change in control occurs as defined in the instruments governing our senior notes, we would be required to offer to

purchase all of our outstanding senior notes at 101% of their principal amount, together with all accrued and unpaid interest, if

any.

The indenture governing our senior notes does not contain any financial covenants.  Subject to specified exceptions, the

indenture contains certain restrictive covenants that, among other things, limit our ability to incur secured indebtedness, or

engage in sale-leaseback transactions involving property above a certain specified value.  In addition, the indenture contains

certain limitations related to mergers, consolidations, and sales of assets.

As of the date of this report, we were in compliance with the applicable terms of all our covenants and other requirements

under the Credit Facility, the Term Loan, the senior notes, the indenture, the LOC Facility, and the mortgages and land

contracts due to land sellers and other loans.  Our ability to access the Credit Facility for cash borrowings and letters of credit

and our ability to secure future debt financing depend, in part, on our ability to remain in such compliance.  Our ability to

access the Credit Facility’s full borrowing capacity, as well as the LOC Facility’s full issuance capacity, also depends on the

ability and willingness of the applicable lenders and financial institutions, including any substitute or additional lenders and

financial institutions, to meet their commitments to fund loans, extend credit or provide payment guarantees to or for us under

those instruments.  There are no agreements that restrict our payment of dividends other than the Credit Facility and the Term

Loan, which would restrict our payment of certain dividends, such as cash dividends on our common stock, if a default under

the Credit Facility or the Term Loan exists at the time of any such payment, or if any such payment would result in such a

default (other than dividends paid within 60 days after declaration, if there was no default at the time of declaration).

Mortgages and Land Contracts Due to Land Sellers and Other Loans. As of November 30, 2024, inventories having a

carrying value of $14.1 million were pledged to collateralize mortgages and land contracts due to land sellers and other loans.

Shelf Registration.  Our 2023 Shelf Registration is filed with the SEC.  The 2023 Shelf Registration registers the offering

of securities that we may issue from time to time in amounts to be determined.  Our ability to issue securities is subject to

market conditions and, with respect to debt securities, other factors impacting our borrowing capacity. We have not made any

offerings of securities under the 2023 Shelf Registration.

Principal payments on our notes payable are due during each year ending November 30 as follows: 2025 — $.5 million;

2026 — $360.6 million; 2027 — $300.8 million; 2028 — $.8 million; 2029 — $300.3 million; and thereafter — $740.0

million.