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Note 5 - Variable Interest Entities
3 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2023
Notes to Financial Statements  
Variable Interest Entity Disclosure [Text Block]

5.

Variable Interest Entities

 

The Company enters into land and lot option purchase contracts to procure land or lots for the construction of homes. Under these contracts, we will fund a stated deposit in consideration for the right, but not the obligation, to purchase land or lots at a future point in time with predetermined terms. Under the terms of the option purchase contracts, many of the option deposits are not refundable at our discretion. Certain option purchase contracts may result in the creation of a variable interest in the entity (“VIE”) that owns the land parcel under option.

 

We analyze our option purchase contracts to determine whether the corresponding land sellers are VIEs and, if so, whether the Company is the primary beneficiary. Although the Company does not have legal title to the underlying land, we are required to consolidate a VIE if we are determined to be the primary beneficiary. In determining whether it is the primary beneficiary, the Company considers, among other things, whether it has the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and whether we have the obligation to absorb losses of, or the right to receive benefits from the VIE. As a result of our analyses, we have concluded the Company is not the primary beneficiary of any VIEs from which it is purchasing land under option purchase contracts.

 

Including deposits on our unconsolidated VIEs, at January 31, 2023, we had total cash deposits amounting to $187.7 million to purchase land and lots with a total purchase price of $1.8 billion. The maximum exposure to loss with respect to our land and lot options is limited to the deposits plus any pre-development costs invested in the property.