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Note 5 - Reduction of Inventory to Fair Value

6 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2014

Inventory Impairments And Land Option Cost Write Offs [Abstract]

Inventory Impairments And Land Option Cost Write Offs [Text Block]

5.	Reduction of Inventory to Fair Value

We record impairment losses on inventories related to communities under development and held for future development when events and circumstances indicate that they may be impaired and the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than their related carrying amounts. If the expected undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying amount, then the community is written down to its fair value. We estimate the fair value of each impaired community by determining the present value of the estimated future cash flows at a discount rate commensurate with the risk of the respective community. For the six months ended April 30, 2014, no discount rate was used as the one community impaired during the quarter was land held for sale for which a purchase offer price was used to determine the fair value. This land was sold at the offer price in May 2014. For the six months ended April 30, 2013, our discount rate used for the impairments recorded ranged from 18.0% to 18.8%. Should the estimates or expectations used in determining cash flows or fair value decrease or differ from current estimates in the future, we may need to recognize additional impairments.

During the six months ended April 30, 2014, we evaluated inventories of all 508 communities under development and held for future development for impairment indicators through preparation and review of detailed budgets or other market indicators of impairment. We performed detailed impairment calculations for seven of those communities (i.e., those with a projected operating loss or other impairment indicators) with an aggregate carrying value of $20.5 million. Of those communities tested for impairment, two communities with an aggregate carrying value of $16.2 million had undiscounted future cash flows that exceeded the carrying amount by less than 20%. As a result of our impairment analysis, we recorded impairment losses of $0.1 million for both the three and six months ended April 30, 2014, and recorded $0.9 million and $1.5 million for the three and six months ended April 30, 2013, respectively, which are included in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and deducted from inventory.

The following tables represent inventory impairments by homebuilding segment for the three and six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013:

(Dollars in millions)	Three Months Ended April 30, 2014			Three Months Ended April 30, 2013
	Number of Communities	Dollar Amount of Impairment	Pre- Impairment Value(1)	Number of Communities	Dollar Amount of Impairment	Pre- Impairment Value(1)
Northeast	1	$0.1	$0.2	1	$0.9	$2.3
Mid-Atlantic	-	-	-	-	-	-
Midwest	-	-	-	-	-	-
Southeast	-	-	-	-	-	-
Southwest	-	-	-	-	-	-
West	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	1	$0.1	$0.2	1	$0.9	$2.3

(Dollars in millions)	Six Months Ended April 30, 2014			Six Months Ended April 30, 2013
	Number of Communities	Dollar Amount of Impairment	Pre- Impairment Value(1)	Number of Communities	Dollar Amount of Impairment(2)	Pre- Impairment Value(1)
Northeast	1	$0.1	$0.2	2	$1.5	$5.2
Mid-Atlantic	-	-	-	1	-	0.1
Midwest	-	-	-	-	-	-
Southeast	-	-	-	1	-	0.4
Southwest	-	-	-	-	-	-
West	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	1	$0.1	$0.2	4	$1.5	$5.7

(1)	Represents carrying value, net of prior period impairments, if any, at the time of recording the applicable period’s impairments.

(2)	During the six months ended April 30, 2013, the Mid-Atlantic had an impairment totaling $2 thousand and the Southeast had an impairment totaling $17 thousand.

The Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations line entitled “Homebuilding: Inventory impairment loss and land option write-offs” also includes write-offs of options, and approval, engineering and capitalized interest costs that we record when we redesign communities and/or abandon certain engineering costs and we do not exercise options in various locations because the communities' pro forma profitability is not projected to produce adequate returns on investment commensurate with the risk. Total aggregate write-offs related to these items were $0.4 million and $1.3 million for the three months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and $1.1 million and $1.4 million for the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Occasionally, these write-offs are offset by recovered deposits (sometimes through legal action) that had been written off in a prior period as walk-away costs. Historically, these recoveries have not been significant in comparison to the total cost written off.

The following tables represent write-offs of such costs (after giving effect to any recovered deposits in the applicable period) and the number of lots walked away from by homebuilding segment for the three and six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013:

	Three Months Ended April 30,
	2014		2013
(Dollars in millions)	Number of Walk-Away Lots	Dollar Amount of Write-Offs (1)	Number of Walk-Away Lots	Dollar Amount of Write-Offs(1)
Northeast	40	$0.1	300	$0.1
Mid-Atlantic	88	-	24	-
Midwest	138	0.1	-	-
Southeast	398	0.2	-	0.1
Southwest	230	-	189	1.1
West	-	-	-	-
Total	894	$0.4	513	$1.3

	Six Months Ended April 30,
	2014		2013
(Dollars in millions)	Number of Walk-Away Lots	Dollar Amount of Write-Offs(1)	Number of Walk-Away Lots	Dollar Amount of Write-Offs(1)
Northeast	239	$0.5	300	$0.2
Mid-Atlantic	521	0.1	164	-
Midwest	403	0.1	-	-
Southeast	925	0.3	-	0.1
Southwest	342	0.1	234	1.1
West	-	-	-	-
Total	2,430	$1.1	698	$1.4

(1)

During the three months ended April 30, 2014, there were write-offs in the Mid-Atlantic totaling $19 thousand and in the Southwest there were recoveries of $68 thousand, partially offset by write-offs of $57 thousand. During the three and six months ended April 30, 2013, there were write-offs in the Mid-Atlantic totaling $2 thousand and $8 thousand, respectively.

We decide to mothball (or stop development on) certain communities when we determine that the current performance does not justify further investment at the time. When we decide to mothball a community, the inventory is reclassified from “Sold and unsold homes and lots under development” to “Land and land options held for future development or sale.” During the first half of fiscal 2014, we did not mothball any new communities and sold one community which was previously mothballed. In addition, two communities which were previously mothballed were re-activated during the second quarter of fiscal 2014. As of April 30, 2014, the net book value associated with our 47 total mothballed communities was $106.2 million, net of impairment charges recorded in prior periods of $419.2 million.

From time to time we enter into option agreements that include specific performance requirements, whereby we are required to purchase a minimum number of lots. Because of our obligation to purchase these lots, for accounting purposes in accordance with ASC 360-20-40-38, we are required to record this inventory on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of April 30, 2014, we had $2.2 million of specific performance options recorded on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets to “Consolidated inventory not owned – specific performance options,” with a corresponding liability of $2.0 million recorded to “Liabilities from inventory not owned.” Consolidated inventory not owned also consists of other options that were included on our balance sheet in accordance with GAAP.

During fiscal 2012, 2013 and 2014, we sold and leased back certain of our model homes with the right to participate in the potential profit when each home is sold to a third party at the end of the respective lease. As a result of our continued involvement, for accounting purposes in accordance with ASC 360-20-40-38, these sale and leaseback transactions are considered a financing rather than a sale. Therefore, for purposes of our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, at April 30, 2014, inventory of $69.3 million was recorded to “Consolidated inventory not owned – other options,” with a corresponding amount of $65.3 million recorded to “Liabilities from inventory not owned.”

We have land banking arrangements whereby we sell our land parcels to the land banker and they provide us an option to purchase back finished lots on a quarterly basis. Because of our options to repurchase these parcels, for accounting purposes, in accordance with ASC 360-20-40-38, these transactions are considered a financing rather than a sale. For purposes of our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, at April 30, 2014, inventory of $36.5 million was recorded as “Consolidated inventory not owned – other options,” with a corresponding amount of $27.6 million recorded to “Liabilities from inventory not owned” for the amount of net cash received from the transactions.