Supplemental Guarantor Information Supplemental Guarantor Information - Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
ASSETS:
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$ 151,703	$ 34,441	$ 13,101	$ 22,486
Mortgage loans held for sale	171,580	154,020
Inventory	1,414,574	1,215,934
Property and equipment - net	26,816	22,299
Investment in joint venture arrangements	20,525	28,016
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Deferred income taxes, net of valuation allowance	18,438	30,875
Intercompany assets	0	0
Other assets	61,135	62,926
TOTAL ASSETS	1,864,771	1,548,511
LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable	117,233	103,212
Customer deposits	26,378	22,156
Intercompany liabilities	0	0
Other liabilities	131,534	123,162
Community development district obligations	13,049	476
Obligation for consolidated inventory not owned	21,545	7,528
Notes payable bank - homebuilding operations	0	40,300
Notes payable bank - financial services operations	168,195	152,895
Notes payable - other	10,576	6,415
Convertible senior subordinated notes due 2017 - net	0	57,093
Convertible senior subordinated notes due 2018 - net	86,132	85,423
Senior notes due 2021 - net	296,780	295,677
Senior notes due 2025 - net	246,051	0
TOTAL LIABILITIES	1,117,473	894,337
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	747,298	654,174
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	1,864,771	1,548,511
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]
ASSETS:
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	0	0	(7,951)	0
Mortgage loans held for sale	0	0
Inventory	0	0
Property and equipment - net	0	0
Investment in joint venture arrangements	0	0
Investment in subsidiaries	(722,508)	(666,008)
Deferred income taxes, net of valuation allowance	0	0
Intercompany assets	(650,599)	(424,669)
Other assets	0	0
TOTAL ASSETS	(1,373,107)	(1,090,677)
LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable	0	0
Customer deposits	0	0
Intercompany liabilities	(650,599)	(424,669)
Other liabilities	0	0
Community development district obligations	0	0
Obligation for consolidated inventory not owned	0	0
Notes payable bank - homebuilding operations		0
Notes payable bank - financial services operations	0	0
Notes payable - other	0	0
Convertible senior subordinated notes due 2017 - net		0
Convertible senior subordinated notes due 2018 - net	0	0
Senior notes due 2021 - net	0	0
Senior notes due 2025 - net	0
TOTAL LIABILITIES	(650,599)	(424,669)
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	(722,508)	(666,008)
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	(1,373,107)	(1,090,677)
Parent Company [Member]
ASSETS:
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	0	0	0	0
Mortgage loans held for sale	0	0
Inventory	0	0
Property and equipment - net	0	0
Investment in joint venture arrangements	0	0
Investment in subsidiaries	722,508	666,008
Deferred income taxes, net of valuation allowance	0	0
Intercompany assets	650,599	424,669
Other assets	3,154	1,690
TOTAL ASSETS	1,376,261	1,092,367
LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable	0	0
Customer deposits	0	0
Intercompany liabilities	0	0
Other liabilities	0	0
Community development district obligations	0	0
Obligation for consolidated inventory not owned	0	0
Notes payable bank - homebuilding operations		0
Notes payable bank - financial services operations	0	0
Notes payable - other	0	0
Convertible senior subordinated notes due 2017 - net		57,093
Convertible senior subordinated notes due 2018 - net	86,132	85,423
Senior notes due 2021 - net	296,780	295,677
Senior notes due 2025 - net	246,051
TOTAL LIABILITIES	628,963	438,193
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	747,298	654,174
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	1,376,261	1,092,367
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
ASSETS:
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	20,181	13,514	18,156	11,663
Mortgage loans held for sale	171,580	154,020
Inventory	0	0
Property and equipment - net	1,001	1,057
Investment in joint venture arrangements	6,595	15,479
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Deferred income taxes, net of valuation allowance	0	108
Intercompany assets	0	0
Other assets	9,551	17,427
TOTAL ASSETS	208,908	201,605
LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable	460	549
Customer deposits	0	0
Intercompany liabilities	5,551	13,473
Other liabilities	5,012	6,029
Community development district obligations	0	0
Obligation for consolidated inventory not owned	0	0
Notes payable bank - homebuilding operations		0
Notes payable bank - financial services operations	168,195	152,895
Notes payable - other	0	0
Convertible senior subordinated notes due 2017 - net		0
Convertible senior subordinated notes due 2018 - net	0	0
Senior notes due 2021 - net	0	0
Senior notes due 2025 - net	0
TOTAL LIABILITIES	179,218	172,946
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	29,690	28,659
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	208,908	201,605
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
ASSETS:
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	131,522	20,927	$ 2,896	$ 10,823
Mortgage loans held for sale	0	0
Inventory	1,414,574	1,215,934
Property and equipment - net	25,815	21,242
Investment in joint venture arrangements	13,930	12,537
Investment in subsidiaries	0	0
Deferred income taxes, net of valuation allowance	18,438	30,767
Intercompany assets	0	0
Other assets	48,430	43,809
TOTAL ASSETS	1,652,709	1,345,216
LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable	116,773	102,663
Customer deposits	26,378	22,156
Intercompany liabilities	645,048	411,196
Other liabilities	126,522	117,133
Community development district obligations	13,049	476
Obligation for consolidated inventory not owned	21,545	7,528
Notes payable bank - homebuilding operations		40,300
Notes payable bank - financial services operations	0	0
Notes payable - other	10,576	6,415
Convertible senior subordinated notes due 2017 - net		0
Convertible senior subordinated notes due 2018 - net	0	0
Senior notes due 2021 - net	0	0
Senior notes due 2025 - net	0
TOTAL LIABILITIES	959,891	707,867
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	692,818	637,349
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY	$ 1,652,709	$ 1,345,216