Inventory

The components of our owned inventory are as follows as of June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018:



in thousands	June 30, 2019		September 30, 2018
Homes under construction	$	679,181	$	476,752
Development projects in progress	753,048		907,793
Land held for future development	28,531		83,173
Land held for sale	13,352		7,781
Capitalized interest	148,825		144,645
Model homes	79,787		72,140
Total owned inventory	$	1,702,724	$	1,692,284

Homes under construction include homes substantially finished and ready for delivery and homes in various stages of construction, including the cost of the underlying lot. We had 185 (with a cost of $62.6 million) and 240 (with a cost of $84.8 million) substantially completed homes that were not subject to a sales contract (spec homes) as of June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

Development projects in progress consist principally of land and land improvement costs. Certain of the fully developed lots in this category are reserved by a customer deposit or sales contract. Land held for future development consists of communities for which construction and development activities are expected to occur in the future or have been idled and are stated at cost unless facts and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. All applicable interest and real estate taxes on land held for future development are expensed as incurred. Land held for sale includes land and lots that do not fit within our homebuilding programs and strategic plans in certain markets and land is classified as held for sale once certain criteria are met. These assets are recorded at the lower of the carrying value or fair value less costs to sell.

The amount of interest we are able to capitalize depends on our qualified inventory balance, which considers the status of our inventory holdings. Our qualified inventory balance includes the majority of our homes under construction and development projects in progress, but excludes land held for future development and land held for sale (see Note 6 for additional information on capitalized interest).

Total owned inventory by reportable segment is presented in the table below as of June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018:



in thousands	Projects in Progress ^(a)		Land Held for Future Development		Land Held for Sale		Total Owned Inventory
June 30, 2019
West Segment	$	773,121	$	3,483	$	5,750	$	782,354
East Segment	297,575		14,077		4,511		316,163
Southeast Segment	379,361		10,971		3,091		393,423
Corporate and unallocated ^(b)	210,784		—		—		210,784
Total	$	1,660,841	$	28,531	$	13,352	$	1,702,724
September 30, 2018
West Segment	$	763,453	$	58,125	$	—	$	821,578
East Segment	280,761		14,077		4,580		299,418
Southeast Segment	358,126		10,971		3,177		372,274
Corporate and unallocated ^(b)	198,990		—		24		199,014
Total	$	1,601,330	$	83,173	$	7,781	$	1,692,284

^(a)Projects in progress include homes under construction, development projects in progress, capitalized interest, and model home categories from the preceding table.

^(b)Projects in progress amount includes capitalized interest and indirect costs that are maintained within our Corporate and unallocated segment. Land held for sale amount includes parcels held by our discontinued operations.

Inventory Impairments

When conducting our community level review for the recoverability of inventory related to projects in progress, we establish a quarterly “watch list” comprised of communities that carry profit margins in backlog and in our forecast that are below a minimum threshold of profitability. Our watch list also includes communities with recent closings that have gross margins less than a specific threshold. Each community is first evaluated qualitatively to determine if there are temporary factors driving the low profitability levels. Following our qualitative evaluation, communities with more than ten homes remaining to close are subjected to substantial additional financial and operational analysis and review that considers the competitive environment and other factors contributing to gross margins below our watch list threshold. Our assumptions about future home sales prices and absorption rates require significant judgment because the residential homebuilding industry is cyclical and is highly sensitive to changes in economic conditions. For certain communities, it may be prudent to reduce sales prices or further increase sales incentives in response to a variety of factors, including competitive market conditions in those specific submarkets for the product and locations of these communities. For communities where the current competitive and market dynamics indicate that assets may not be recoverable, a formal impairment analysis is performed. The formal impairment analysis consists of both qualitative considerations and quantitative analyses reflecting market and asset specific information.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2019, there were five communities on our quarterly watch list; three in the West segment, one in the East, and one in the Southeast segment. However, none of these communities required further analysis to be performed after considering certain quantitative and qualitative factors.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2018, there were four communities on our quarterly watch list; two in the West segment and two in the Southeast segment. However, none of these communities required further analysis to be performed after considering certain quantitative and qualitative factors.

The table below presents, by reportable segment, details of the impairment charges taken on projects in progress for the nine months ended June 30, 2019. No impairments on projects in progress were recognized during the three months ended June 30, 2019 or the three and nine months ended June 30, 2018.



	Results of Impairment Analyses
$ in thousands	Nine Months Ended
Segment	# of Communities Impaired	# of Lots Impaired	Impairment Charge		Estimated Fair Value of Impaired Inventory at time of Impairment
June 30, 2019
West	9	839	$	92,912	$	69,449
Southeast	1	15	858		1,367
Corporate and unallocated ^(a)	—	—	16,260		14,166
Total	10	854	$	110,030	$	84,982

^(a) Amount represents the capitalized interest and indirects balances that were impaired. Capitalized interest and indirects are maintained within our Corporate and unallocated segment.

Impairments on land held for sale generally represent write downs of these properties to net realizable value and are based on current market conditions and our review of recent comparable transactions. Our assumptions related to land sales prices require significant judgment because the real estate market is highly sensitive to changes in economic conditions, and our estimates of sale prices could differ significantly from actual results.

From time-to-time, we also determine that the proper course of action with respect to a community is to not exercise an option and to write off the deposit securing the option takedown and the related pre-acquisition costs, as applicable. In determining whether to abandon lots or lot option contracts, our evaluation is primarily based upon the expected cash flows from the property. Additionally, in certain limited instances, we are forced to abandon lots due to permitting or other regulatory issues that do not allow us to build on those lots. If we intend to abandon or walk away from a property, we record a charge to earnings for the deposit amount and any related capitalized costs in the period such decision is made. Abandonment charges generally relate to our decision to abandon lots or not exercise certain option contracts that are not projected to produce adequate results, no longer fit with our long-term strategic plan or, in limited circumstances, are not suitable for building due to regulatory or environmental restrictions that are enacted.

The following table presents, by reportable segment, our total impairment and abandonment charges for the periods presented:



	Three Months Ended June 30,				Nine Months Ended June 30,
in thousands	2019		2018		2019		2018
Projects in Progress:
West	$	—	$	—	$	92,912	$	—
Southeast	—		—		858		—
Corporate and unallocated ^(a)	—		—		16,260		—
Total impairment charges on projects in progress	$	—	$	—	$	110,030	$	—
Land Held for Sale:
West ^(b)	$	—	$	—	$	37,963	$	—
East	—		168		—		168
Corporate and unallocated ^(a)	—		—		625		—
Total impairment charges on land held for sale	$	—	$	168	$	38,588	$	168
Discontinued Operations:
Land Held for Sale	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	450
Total impairment and abandonment charges	$	—	$	168	$	148,618	$	618

^(a) Amount represents capitalized interest and indirects balance that was impaired. Capitalized interest and indirects are maintained within our Corporate and unallocated segment.

^(b)Land held for sale impairments during the nine months ended June 30, 2019 related to six communities representing 732 lots in California that were impaired in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. Two of these parcels were sold in July for amounts approximately equal to their carrying costs. While steps to initiate planned sales of our remaining land held for sale assets have been taken, the timing of completion of such asset dispositions is unknown.

Valuation assumptions for communities tested for impairment are specific to each community. For projects in progress impaired during the periods presented, we determined the fair value of each community by discounting its estimated future cash flows at a rate commensurate with the risks inherent in the project. The discount rate used depends on the development stage and expected duration of the project, local market conditions, and other specific factors. The estimated future cash flows for each community were determined based on the expected pace of closings and average sales price of the community less expected costs for land acquisition and land development, direct construction, overhead, and interest. We determined the fair value of land held for sale assets impaired during the periods presented based on sales contracts, letters of intent, and recent comparable land sale transactions, as applicable. The assumptions used in the determination of fair value of both projects in progress and land held for sale communities are based on factors known to us at the time such estimates are made and our expectations of future operations and market conditions. Should the estimates or expectations used in determining estimated fair values deteriorate in the future, we may be required to recognize additional impairment charges and write-offs related to these assets, and such amounts could be material.

The table below presents the ranges or values of significant quantitative unobservable inputs we used in determining the fair value of the communities impaired during the nine months ended June 30, 2019. No impairments were recognized during the three months ended June 30, 2019.



$ in thousands	Nine Months Ended
Unobservable Inputs	June 30, 2019
Average selling price	$350 to $615
Closings per community per month	1 - 4
Discount rate	14.7% - 16.8%

Lot Option Agreements and Variable Interest Entities (VIE)

As previously discussed, we also have access to land inventory through lot option contracts, which generally enable us to defer acquiring portions of properties owned by third parties and unconsolidated entities until we have determined whether to exercise our lot option. The majority of our lot option contracts require a non-refundable cash deposit or irrevocable letter of credit based on a percentage of the purchase price of the land for the right to acquire lots during a specified period of time at a specified price. Under lot option contracts, purchase of the properties is contingent upon satisfaction of certain requirements by us and the sellers. Our liability under option contracts is generally limited to forfeiture of the non-refundable deposits, letters of credit, and other non-refundable amounts incurred. We expect to exercise, subject to market conditions and seller satisfaction of contract terms, most of our remaining option contracts. Various factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as market conditions, weather conditions, and the timing of the completion of development activities, will have a significant impact on the timing of option exercises or whether lot options will be exercised at all.

The following table provides a summary of our interests in lot option agreements as of June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018:



in thousands	Deposits & Non-refundable Pre-acquisition Costs Incurred		Remaining Obligation
As of June 30, 2019
Unconsolidated lot option agreements	$	75,740	$	389,772
As of September 30, 2018
Unconsolidated lot option agreements	$	72,191	$	383,150