Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Income Tax Benefit (Expense). We recognized income tax expense of $.3 million for the three months ended August 31, 2014 and an income tax benefit of $.7 million for the three months ended August 31, 2013. For the nine months ended August 31, 2014, we recognized income tax expense of $.8 million, compared to an income tax benefit of $1.8 million for the nine months ended August 31, 2013. The income tax benefit for the three months ended August 31, 2013 reflected the recognition of unrecognized tax benefits associated with the expiration of a state statute of limitations. The income tax benefit for the nine months ended August 31, 2013 primarily reflected the resolution of a state tax audit in the second quarter of 2013, which resulted in a refund receivable of $1.4 million, as well as the recognition of unrecognized tax benefits of $.9 million. Due to the effects of the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, our effective tax rates for the three-month and nine-month periods ended August 31, 2014 and 2013 are not meaningful items as our income tax amounts are not directly correlated to the amount of our pretax income for those periods. Deferred Tax Asset Valuation Allowance. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”), we evaluate our deferred tax assets quarterly to determine if adjustments to the valuation allowance are required. ASC 740 requires that companies assess whether a valuation allowance should be established based on the consideration of all available positive and negative evidence using a “more likely than not” standard with respect to whether deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets depends primarily on the generation of future taxable income. The value of our deferred tax assets will depend on applicable income tax rates. During the three months and nine months ended August 31, 2014, we reduced our deferred tax asset valuation allowance by $11.6 million and $27.0 million, respectively, to account for adjustments to our deferred tax assets associated with the pretax income generated during those periods. Our deferred tax asset valuation allowance remained unchanged during the three months ended August 31, 2013. During the nine months ended August 31, 2013, we reduced our deferred tax asset valuation allowance by $.4 million to account for adjustments to our deferred tax assets associated with the vesting of equity-based awards in that period. One of the primary pieces of negative evidence that we have considered in evaluating the need for a valuation allowance has been our three-year cumulative loss position, which was largely the result of our pretax losses in 2012 and 2011. As a result of generating pretax income for the year ended November 30, 2013 and for the nine months ended August 31, 2014, we emerged from our three-year cumulative loss position in the 2014 third quarter with a three-year cumulative income position of $37.1 million as of August 31, 2014. Additionally, in the third quarter of 2014, we reported our fifth consecutive quarter of pretax income and experienced year-over-year increases in our revenues, housing gross profit margin, net orders and backlog. If these trends in our business continue, together with favorable conditions in housing markets and for the homebuilding industry, and we are profitable on a sustained basis, we believe that there could be sufficient positive evidence to support reducing a large portion of our valuation allowance in the fourth quarter of 2014. We had no net deferred tax assets at August 31, 2014 or November 30, 2013 as we maintained a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets. The deferred tax asset valuation allowance decreased to $832.4 million at August 31, 2014 from $859.4 million at November 30, 2013, reflecting the $27.0 million valuation allowance adjustment recorded during the nine months ended August 31, 2014. Unrecognized Tax Benefits. At both August 31, 2014 and November 30, 2013, our gross unrecognized tax benefits (including interest and penalties) totaled $.3 million, all of which, if recognized, would affect our effective tax rate. We anticipate that these gross unrecognized tax benefits will decrease by an amount ranging from $.1 million to $.3 million during the 12 months from this reporting date due to various state tax filings associated with the resolution of a federal tax audit. Our fiscal years ending 2010 and later are open to federal examinations. Due to differing statutes of limitation and the status of current audits, certain of our fiscal years ending 2009 and later are open to state examinations. The benefits of our net operating losses (“NOL”), built-in losses and tax credits would be reduced or potentially eliminated if we experienced an “ownership change” under Internal Revenue Code Section 382 (“Section 382”). Based on our analysis performed as of August 31, 2014, we do not believe we have experienced an ownership change as defined by Section 382, and, therefore, the NOL, built-in losses and tax credits we have generated should not be subject to a Section 382 limitation as of this reporting date.

Income Tax Benefit (Expense). We recognized income tax expense of $.3 million for the three months ended August 31, 2014 and an income tax benefit of $.7 million for the three months ended August 31, 2013. For the nine months ended August 31, 2014, we recognized income tax expense of $.8 million, compared to an income tax benefit of $1.8 million for the nine months ended August 31, 2013. The income tax benefit for the three months ended August 31, 2013 reflected the recognition of unrecognized tax benefits associated with the expiration of a state statute of limitations. The income tax benefit for the nine months ended August 31, 2013 primarily reflected the resolution of a state tax audit in the second quarter of 2013, which resulted in a refund receivable of $1.4 million, as well as the recognition of unrecognized tax benefits of $.9 million. Due to the effects of the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, our effective tax rates for the three-month and nine-month periods ended August 31, 2014 and 2013 are not meaningful items as our income tax amounts are not directly correlated to the amount of our pretax income for those periods.

Deferred Tax Asset Valuation Allowance. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic No. 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”), we evaluate our deferred tax assets quarterly to determine if adjustments to the valuation allowance are required. ASC 740 requires that companies assess whether a valuation allowance should be established based on the consideration of all available positive and negative evidence using a “more likely than not” standard with respect to whether deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets depends primarily on the generation of future taxable income. The value of our deferred tax assets will depend on applicable income tax rates. During the three months and nine months ended August 31, 2014, we reduced our deferred tax asset valuation allowance by $11.6 million and $27.0 million, respectively, to account for adjustments to our deferred tax assets associated with the pretax income generated during those periods. Our deferred tax asset valuation allowance remained unchanged during the three months ended August 31, 2013. During the nine months ended August 31, 2013, we reduced our deferred tax asset valuation allowance by $.4 million to account for adjustments to our deferred tax assets associated with the vesting of equity-based awards in that period.

One of the primary pieces of negative evidence that we have considered in evaluating the need for a valuation allowance has been our three-year cumulative loss position, which was largely the result of our pretax losses in 2012 and 2011. As a result of generating pretax income for the year ended November 30, 2013 and for the nine months ended August 31, 2014, we emerged from our three-year cumulative loss position in the 2014 third quarter with a three-year cumulative income position of $37.1 million as of August 31, 2014. Additionally, in the third quarter of 2014, we reported our fifth consecutive quarter of pretax income and experienced year-over-year increases in our revenues, housing gross profit margin, net orders and backlog. If these trends in our business continue, together with favorable conditions in housing markets and for the homebuilding industry, and we are profitable on a sustained basis, we believe that there could be sufficient positive evidence to support reducing a large portion of our valuation allowance in the fourth quarter of 2014.

We had no net deferred tax assets at August 31, 2014 or November 30, 2013 as we maintained a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets. The deferred tax asset valuation allowance decreased to $832.4 million at August 31, 2014 from $859.4 million at November 30, 2013, reflecting the $27.0 million valuation allowance adjustment recorded during the nine months ended August 31, 2014.

Unrecognized Tax Benefits. At both August 31, 2014 and November 30, 2013, our gross unrecognized tax benefits (including interest and penalties) totaled $.3 million, all of which, if recognized, would affect our effective tax rate. We anticipate that these gross unrecognized tax benefits will decrease by an amount ranging from $.1 million to $.3 million during the 12 months from this reporting date due to various state tax filings associated with the resolution of a federal tax audit. Our fiscal years ending 2010 and later are open to federal examinations. Due to differing statutes of limitation and the status of current audits, certain of our fiscal years ending 2009 and later are open to state examinations.

The benefits of our net operating losses (“NOL”), built-in losses and tax credits would be reduced or potentially eliminated if we experienced an “ownership change” under Internal Revenue Code Section 382 (“Section 382”). Based on our analysis performed as of August 31, 2014, we do not believe we have experienced an ownership change as defined by Section 382, and, therefore, the NOL, built-in losses and tax credits we have generated should not be subject to a Section 382 limitation as of this reporting date.