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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Nov. 30, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Operations. KB Home is a builder of attached and detached single-family residential homes, townhomes and condominiums. As of November 30, 2016, we conducted ongoing operations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas. We also offer property and casualty insurance and, in certain instances, earthquake, flood and personal property insurance to our homebuyers in the same markets where we build homes, and provide title services in the majority of our markets located within our Central and Southeast homebuilding reporting segments. Until October 2016, we provided mortgage banking services, including mortgage loan originations, to our homebuyers indirectly through HCM, a joint venture of a subsidiary of ours and a subsidiary of Nationstar. HCM is accounted for as an unconsolidated joint venture within our financial services reporting segment. Basis of Presentation. Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and include our accounts and those of the consolidated subsidiaries in which we have a controlling financial interest. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures in which we have less than a controlling financial interest are accounted for using the equity method. Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash. We consider all highly liquid short-term investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Our cash equivalents totaled $396.1 million at November 30, 2016 and $342.3 million at November 30, 2015. At November 30, 2016, the majority of our cash and cash equivalents was invested in interest-bearing bank deposit accounts. At November 30, 2015, the majority of our cash and cash equivalents was invested in money market funds and interest-bearing bank deposit accounts. Restricted cash at November 30, 2015 consisted of cash deposited with various financial institutions as required collateral for our LOC Facility. Receivables. Receivables are evaluated for collectibility at least quarterly, and allowances for potential losses are established or maintained on applicable receivables when collection is considered doubtful, taking into account historical experience, prevailing economic conditions and other relevant information. Property and Equipment and Depreciation. Property and equipment are recorded at cost and are depreciated over their estimated useful lives, which generally range from two to 10 years, using the straight-line method. Repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred. Property and equipment totaled $14.2 million, net of accumulated depreciation of $18.2 million, at November 30, 2016, and $13.1 million, net of accumulated depreciation of $15.3 million, at November 30, 2015. Depreciation expense totaled $3.6 million in 2016, $3.4 million in 2015 and $2.4 million in 2014. Homebuilding Operations. Revenues from housing and other real estate sales are recognized when sales are closed and title passes to the buyer. Sales are closed when all of the following conditions are met: a sale is consummated, a sufficient down payment is received, the earnings process is complete and the collection of any remaining receivables is reasonably assured. Concurrent with the recognition of revenues in our consolidated statements of operations, sales incentives in the form of price concessions on the selling price of a home are recorded as a reduction of revenues, while the costs of sales incentives in the form of free or discounted products or services to homebuyers, including option upgrades and closing cost allowances used to cover a portion of the fees and costs charged to a homebuyer, are reflected as construction and land costs. Construction and land costs are comprised of direct and allocated costs, including estimated future costs for the limited warranty we provide on our homes and certain amenities within a community. Land acquisition, land development and other common costs are generally allocated on a relative fair value basis to the homes or lots within the applicable community or land parcel. Land acquisition and land development costs include related interest and real estate taxes. H ousing and land inventories are stated at cost, unless the carrying value is determined not to be recoverable, in which case the affected inventories are written down to fair value or fair value less associated costs to sell. Real estate assets, such as our housing and land inventories, are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparing the carrying value of an asset to the undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. These impairment evaluations are significantly impacted by estimates for the amounts and timing of future revenues, costs and expenses, and other factors. If the carrying value of a real estate asset is determined not to be recoverable, the impairment charge to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying value of the affected asset exceeds its estimated fair value. For land held for sale, if the fair value less associated costs to sell exceeds the asset’s carrying value, no impairment charge is recognized. Capitalized Interest. Interest is capitalized to inventories while the related communities or land are being actively developed and until homes are completed or the land is available for immediate sale. Capitalized interest is amortized to construction and land costs as the related inventories are delivered to homebuyers or land buyers (as applicable). For land held for future development or sale, applicable interest is expensed as incurred. Fair Value Measurements. Fair value measurements are used for inventories on a nonrecurring basis when events and circumstances indicate that their carrying value is not recoverable. For these real estate assets, fair value is determined based on the estimated future net cash flows discounted for inherent risk associated with each such asset, or other valuation techniques. Our financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, senior notes, convertible senior notes, and mortgages and land contracts due to land sellers and other loans. Fair value measurements of financial instruments are determined by various market data and other valuation techniques as appropriate. When available, we use quoted market prices in active markets to determine fair value. Financial Services Operations. Our financial services reporting segment generates revenues primarily from insurance commissions and title services. These operations also earned marketing services fees, pursuant to a marketing services agreement with a preferred lender, until July 2014. Marketing services fees were recognized when earned. Insurance commissions are recognized when policies are issued. Title services revenues are recorded when closing services are rendered and title insurance policies are issued, both of which generally occur at the time each applicable home is closed. Warranty Costs. We provide a limited warranty on all of our homes. We estimate the costs that may be incurred under each limited warranty and record a liability in the amount of such costs at the time the revenue associated with the sale of each home is recognized. Our primary assumption in estimating the amounts we accrue for warranty costs is that historical claims experience is a strong indicator of future claims experience. Factors that affect our warranty liability include the number of homes delivered, historical and anticipated rates of warranty claims, and cost per claim. We periodically assess the adequacy of our accrued warranty liability and adjust the amount as necessary based on our assessment. Self-Insurance. We self-insure a portion of our overall risk through the use of a captive insurance subsidiary. We also maintain certain other insurance policies. We record liabilities based on the estimated costs required to cover reported claims, claims incurred but not yet reported, and claim adjustment expenses. These estimated costs are based on an actuarial analysis of our historical claims and expense data, as well as industry data. Our self-insurance liabilities are presented on a gross basis without consideration of insurance recoveries and amounts we have paid on behalf of and expect to recover from other parties, if any. Estimates of insurance recoveries and amounts we have paid on behalf of other parties, if any, are recorded as receivables when such recoveries are considered probable. Advertising Costs. We expense advertising costs as incurred. We incurred advertising costs of $32.7 million in 2016, $33.4 million in 2015 and $30.2 million in 2014. Legal Fees. Legal fees associated with litigation and similar proceedings that are not expected to provide a benefit in future periods are generally expensed as incurred. Legal fees associated with land acquisition and development and other activities that are expected to provide a benefit in future periods are capitalized to inventories in our consolidated balance sheets as incurred. We expensed legal fees of $13.6 million in 2016, $11.7 million in 2015 and $10.9 million in 2014. Stock-Based Compensation. We measure and recognize compensation expense associated with our grant of equity-based awards at an amount equal to the fair value of share-based payments granted under compensation arrangements over the vesting period. We estimate the fair value of stock options, SARs and Director Plan SARs granted using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with assumptions based primarily on historical data. We report the tax benefit resulting from tax deductions in excess of the compensation expense recognized for stock options and SARs in our consolidated statements of cash flows as an operating cash outflow and a financing cash inflow. Income Taxes. The provision for, or benefit from, income taxes is calculated using the asset and liability method, under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are evaluated on a quarterly basis to determine if adjustments to the valuation allowance are required. This evaluation is 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 our deferred tax assets depends primarily on our ability to generate future taxable income during the periods in which the related temporary differences in the financial basis and the tax basis of the assets become deductible. The value of our deferred tax assets in our consolidated balance sheets depends on applicable income tax rates. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss. The accumulated balances of other comprehensive loss in the consolidated balance sheets as of November 30, 2016 and 2015 were comprised solely of adjustments recorded directly to accumulated other comprehensive loss related to our benefit plan obligations. Such adjustments are made annually as of November 30, when our benefit plan obligations are remeasured. Earnings Per Share. We compute earnings per share using the two-class method, which is an allocation of earnings between the holders of common stock and a company’s participating security holders. Our outstanding nonvested shares of restricted stock contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends and, therefore, are considered participating securities for purposes of computing earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method. We had no other participating securities at November 30, 2016, 2015 or 2014. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted. In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASU 2014-09”). The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date,” which delayed the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year. In 2016, the FASB issued accounting standards updates that amended several aspects of ASU 2014-09. ASU 2014-09, as amended, is effective for us beginning December 1, 2018 (with early adoption permitted beginning in our 2018 fiscal year) and allows for full retrospective or modified retrospective methods of adoption. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements, as well as the method we will use to adopt the new guidance, and have been involved in industry-specific discussions with the FASB on the treatment of certain items. We do not believe the adoption of ASU 2014-09 will have a material impact on the amount or timing of our homebuilding revenues. In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” (“ASU 2016-02”). ASU 2016-02 will require lessees to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases. Under ASU 2016-02, a lessee will be required to recognize assets and liabilities for leases with terms of more than 12 months. Lessor accounting remains substantially similar to current GAAP. In addition, disclosures of leasing activities are to be expanded to include qualitative along with specific quantitative information. ASU 2016-02 will be effective for us beginning December 1, 2019 (with early adoption permitted). ASU 2016-02 mandates a modified retrospective transition method. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-09, “Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU 2016-09”). ASU 2016-09 simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 will be effective for us beginning December 1, 2017 (with early adoption permitted). We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements. In August 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments” (“ASU 2016-15”). ASU 2016-15 provides guidance on how certain cash receipts and cash payments are to be presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-15 will be effective for us beginning December 1, 2018 (with early adoption permitted). We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements. In November 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash” (“ASU 2016-18”). ASU 2016-18 requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-18 will be effective for us beginning December 1, 2018 (with early adoption permitted) and will be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of adopting this guidance on our consolidated financial statements. Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncement. In April 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-03, “Interest — Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs” (“ASU 2015-03”). ASU 2015-03 requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. ASU 2015-03 is to be applied on a retrospective basis and represents a change in accounting principle. In August 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-15, “Interest — Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements — Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to Staff Announcement at June 18, 2015 EITF Meeting” (“ASU 2015-15”), which clarifies the treatment of debt issuance costs from line-of-credit arrangements after the adoption of ASU 2015-03. In particular, ASU 2015-15 clarifies that the SEC staff would not object to an entity deferring and presenting debt issuance costs related to a line-of-credit arrangement as an asset and subsequently amortizing the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of such arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. We elected to early adopt ASU 2015-03 effective November 30, 2016. The adoption of ASU 2015-03 resulted in the reclassification of unamortized debt issuance costs related to senior notes from other assets to notes payable in our consolidated balance sheets in the amount of $18.3 million at November 30, 2016 and $23.8 million at November 30, 2015. As permitted by ASU 2015-15, we elected not to reclassify unamortized debt issuance costs associated with our Credit Facility and continue to present such capitalized costs in other assets. Reclassifications. Certain amounts in our consolidated financial statements of prior years have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.

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