BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended											6 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2013 Property	Oct. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2013 Property	Jul. 31, 2013	Oct. 31, 2013 IRET [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Real Estate Development Company [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Acquired below-market leases and acquired above-market leases [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Acquired below-market leases and acquired above-market leases [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Acquired below-market leases and acquired above-market leases [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Acquired below-market leases and acquired above-market leases [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Other identified intangible assets [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Other identified intangible assets [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Other identified intangible assets [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Other identified intangible assets [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Dacotah Bank, Minot, North Dakota [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 United Community Bank, Minot, North Dakota [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Commerce Bank, A Minnesota Banking Corporation [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 First International Bank, Watford City, North Dakota [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Peoples State Bank of Velva, North Dakota [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Equity Bank, Minnetonka, Minnesota [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Associated Bank, Green Bay, Wisconsin [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 American National Bank, Omaha, Nebraska [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 United Community Bank and Equity Bank [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Anoka, Minnesota [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Bloomington, Minnesota [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 Clive, Iowa [Member]	Oct. 31, 2013 St. Louis Park, Minnesota [Member]
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES [Abstract]
Interest in common units in operating partnership (in hundredths)	82.90%		82.40%
Redemption basis	one-for-one
Redemptions by limited partner, maximum	2
Number of units to redeem, minimum (in units)	1,000
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]
Impairment of retail property	$ 1,860,000	$ 0																						$ 265,000	$ 329,000	$ 402,000	$ 864,000
Compensating Balances [Line Items]
Compensating balances	8,500,000														350,000	275,000	250,000	6,100,000	225,000	300,000	600,000	400,000	642,000
Decrease in lender holdbacks	1,610,000	1,018,000
Increase in lender holdbacks	562,000	1,687,000
IDENTIFIED INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND INTANGIBLE LIABILITIES AND GOODWILL [Abstract]
Finite-lived Intangible Assets Acquired	892,000	813,000
Weighted average lives of intangible assets and intangible liabilities	7 months	6 months
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross, Total	57,043,000		68,165,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Accumulated Amortization	(21,418,000)		(27,708,000)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net, Total	35,625,000		40,457,000
Indentified intangible liabilities, gross	203,000		391,000
Indentified intangible liabilities, accumulated amortization	(133,000)		(296,000)
Indentified intangible liabilities, net	70,000		95,000
Amortization of Intangible Assets							(10,000)	(9,000)	(19,000)	(19,000)	1,800,000	1,500,000	5,500,000	3,000,000
Estimated annual amortization [Abstract]
2015							19,000		19,000		4,987,000		4,987,000
2016							16,000		16,000		4,601,000		4,601,000
2017							8,000		8,000		4,133,000		4,133,000
2018							(5,000)		(5,000)		3,701,000		3,701,000
2019							(5,000)		(5,000)		3,549,000		3,549,000
Goodwill	1,100,000		1,106,000
Goodwill derecognized	7,000
RECLASSIFICATIONS [Abstract]
Number of commercial industrial properties sold	9
Number of commercial office properties sold	3
Number of commercial retail properties sold	1		1
Number of commercial industrial held for sale	1
Number of multi-family residential properties sold			3
Number of commercial healthcare properties sold			1
Number of condominium units sold			4
INVOLUNTARY CONVERSION OF ASSETS [Abstract]
Number of 32-unit buildings	2
Insurance proceeds received for business interruption from the flood and fire	2,900,000	2,300,000		966,000
Insurance proceeds received for total business interruption proceeds	409,000			966,000
PROCEEDS FROM FINANCING LIABILITY [Abstract]
Proceeds from sale of non-core assisted living property	7,900,000
Amount of deed contract	29,000,000
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Estimated total costs of joint venture project	$ 52,200,000
Percentage of project financed with third-party debt in joint venture (in hundredths)	69.00%
Percentage of project financed with IRET in joint venture (in hudnredths)	7.00%
Percentage of ownership in VIE (in hundredths)					51.00%	49.00%