Part I

ITEM 1

BUSINESS

Business Overview

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (“HEI”) conducts all of its homebuilding and financial services operations through its subsidiaries (references herein to the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to HEI and its consolidated subsidiaries and should be understood to reflect the consolidated business of HEI’s subsidiaries). Through its subsidiaries, HEI designs, constructs, markets, and sells single-family detached homes, attached townhomes and condominiums, urban infill, and active lifestyle homes in planned residential developments and is one of the nation’s largest builders of residential homes. Founded in 1959 by Kevork Hovnanian, HEI was incorporated in New Jersey in 1967 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1983. Since the incorporation of HEI’s predecessor company, the Company combined with its unconsolidated joint ventures have delivered in excess of 369,000 homes, including 7,649 homes in fiscal 2023. The Company has two distinct operations: homebuilding and financial services. Our homebuilding operations consist of three reportable segments: Northeast, Southeast and West. Our financial services operations provide mortgage loans and title services to the customers of our homebuilding operations.

Excluding unconsolidated joint ventures, we are currently offering homes for sale in 113 communities in 27 markets in 13 states throughout the United States. We market and build homes for first-time buyers, first-time and second-time move-up buyers, luxury buyers, active lifestyle buyers and empty nesters. We offer a variety of home styles at base prices ranging from $135,000 to $1,770,000 with an average sales price, including options, of $539,000 nationwide in fiscal 2023.

Our operations span all significant aspects of the home-buying process – from design, construction, and sale, to mortgage origination and title services.

The following is a summary of our growth history:

1959 - Founded by Kevork Hovnanian as a New Jersey homebuilder.

1983 - Completed initial public offering.

1986 - Entered the North Carolina market through the investment in New Fortis Homes.

1992 - Entered the greater Washington, D.C. market.

1994 - Entered the Coastal Southern California market.

1998 - Expanded in the greater Washington, D.C. market through the acquisition of P.C. Homes.

1999 - Entered the Dallas, Texas market through our acquisition of Goodman Homes. Further diversified and strengthened our position as New Jersey’s largest homebuilder through the acquisition of Matzel & Mumford.

2001 - Continued expansion in the greater Washington D.C. and North Carolina markets through the acquisition of Washington Homes. This acquisition further strengthened our operations in each of these markets.

2002 - Entered the Central Valley market in Northern California and Inland Empire region of Southern California through the acquisition of Forecast Homes.

2003 - Expanded operations in Texas and entered the Houston market through the acquisition of Parkside Homes and Brighton Homes. Entered the greater Ohio market through our acquisition of Summit Homes and entered the greater metro Phoenix market through our acquisition of Great Western Homes.

2004 - Entered the greater Tampa, Florida market through the acquisition of Windward Homes and started operations in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota market.

2005 - Entered the Orlando, Florida market through our acquisition of Cambridge Homes and entered the greater Chicago, Illinois market and expanded our position in Florida and Minnesota through the acquisition of the operations of Town & Country Homes, which occurred concurrently with our entering into a joint venture with affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Advisors to own and develop Town & Country Homes’ existing residential communities. We also entered the Cleveland, Ohio market through the acquisition of Oster Homes.

2006 - Entered the coastal markets of South Carolina and Georgia through the acquisition of Craftbuilt Homes.

During fiscal 2016, we exited the Minneapolis, Minnesota and Raleigh, North Carolina markets and sold land portfolios in those markets. During fiscal 2018, we completed a wind down of our operations in the San Francisco Bay area in Northern California and in Tampa, Florida. During fiscal 2020, we began a wind down of our operations in the Chicago, Illinois market which was completed in fiscal 2023.

Geographic Breakdown of Markets by Segment

The Company markets and builds homes that are constructed in 18 of the nation’s top 50 housing markets. We segregate our homebuilding operations geographically into the following three segments:

Northeast: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia

Southeast: Florida, Georgia and South Carolina

West: Arizona, California and Texas

For financial information about our segments, see Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Human Capital

As of October 31, 2023, we employed 1,715 full-time associates of whom 1,134 were involved in our homebuilding operations, 143 were involved in our financial services operations and 438 were involved in our corporate operations. We do not have collective bargaining agreements relating to any of our associates.

Successful execution of our strategy is dependent on attracting, developing and retaining key associates and members of our management team. The skills, experience and industry knowledge of our team significantly benefit our operations and performance. We continuously evaluate, modify, and enhance our internal processes and technologies to increase engagement, productivity, efficiency and the skills our associates need to be successful.

We believe that talented associates are the Company’s greatest asset and play a key role in creating long-term value for our stakeholders. As of October 31, 2023, 19.0% of our associates had been with the Company for more than 15 years, and the average tenure of all associates was approximately 7.5 years. We understand that our ultimate success and ability to compete are significantly dependent on how well we identify, hire, train, and retain highly qualified personnel. We realize that each associate has a unique vision and their own special talents. We are committed to being an employer that fosters the growth of each associate, while building an inclusive and diverse workforce.

We believe that our focus on diversity and inclusion across the organization positions the Company to deliver innovation and growth. We have a diverse associate base comprised of 25.6% non-white associates as of October 31, 2023. Additionally, as of October 31, 2023, 44.3% of our associates were women, and women represent 38.9% of all associates in manager and more senior positions.

Promoting a diverse and inclusive work environment is a major priority at Hovnanian. In 2020, the Company formed a Diversity & Inclusion Committee that continues to be an important initiative. The committee is led by the CEO and comprised of members of senior leadership and associates in different functions throughout the organization representing various backgrounds. The objective of the committee is to advise on and evaluate the Company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives and to offer suggestions and guidance. All associates are required to take a diversity and inclusion training course on an annual basis. Associates in leadership positions (representing approximately 21.9% of all associates) are required to participate in more extensive diversity and inclusion training sessions.

The Company is also a founding member of the Building Talent Foundation ("BTF") whose mission is to advance the education, training and careers of people from underrepresented groups in the fields of skilled technical workers and as business owners in the residential construction industry. The Company actively utilizes BTF’s residential construction careers platform JobsToBuild to find new talent. In fiscal 2022, we extended our partnership and financial commitment with BTF for another three years.

Over the last two years, our leadership team has conducted quarterly Town Halls. These events have become a staple in the organization and serve as an opportunity for associates to hear from senior leadership candidly about our Company and directly ask questions of our CEO, CFO, Executive Vice President and Group Presidents. This year, the Company also introduced two new channels for engaging associates companywide, "Lunch & Learns" and "Coffee Chats". The goal of these new platforms is to fuel our companywide objective to foster a culture of engagement and facilitate more two-way communication.

Through a combination of competitive benefits and educational programs, we believe that we positively contribute to the well-being of our associates and the communities in which they live and work. Our benefits packages include medical, dental, and vision coverage, as well as paid parental leave, health savings accounts, life insurance, disability income, 401(k) savings plan with a company match and other assistance and wellness programs. Together, these benefits help keep our associates and their dependents healthy, while giving them tax-advantaged ways to save for retirement and establish long-term financial security. This package of programs is routinely reevaluated in order to meet the changing needs of our associates in our diverse organization.

In light of the Company’s experience managing the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic and the recognition of the associated environmental benefits, the Company previously introduced a hybrid work schedule and continued its use throughout fiscal 2023, whereby most office associates may work two days a week from home. We believe this change to a hybrid work model promotes a healthier work and home life balance for our associates while simultaneously providing the environmental benefits of having fewer vehicles on the road. In addition to the weekly hybrid schedule, associates can work remotely up to eight weeks a year. 

We also have committed considerable resources to furthering our associates’ personal and professional growth. We have a repository of over 500 training modules/courses to facilitate these learning sessions in both in-person and virtual settings, including mandatory diversity, ethics, workplace harassment prevention and safety training courses.

Corporate Offices and Available Information

Our corporate offices are located at 90 Matawan Road, Fifth Floor, Matawan, New Jersey 07747 (See Item 2 "Properties"). Our telephone number is 732-747-7800, and our Internet web site address is www.khov.com. Information available on or through our web site is not a part of this Form 10-K. We make available free of charge through our web site our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(d) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Copies of the Company’s Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports are available free of charge upon request. The SEC also maintains an Internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

Business Strategies

As a result of the sharp increase in interest rates beginning in fiscal 2022, we shifted our focus to increasing the availability of quick-move-in homes (“QMI homes”). The rationale behind this shift in focus is that QMI homes provide our customers with more certainty on what their mortgage payments will be at closing. QMI homes also allow us to offer customers mortgage rate buydowns that would be cost prohibitive on homes with a longer time until delivery. QMI homes greatly reduce the complexity of choices for our customers and significantly increase efficiencies for our trades, construction and purchasing teams. In fiscal 2023, we executed "Build-For-Rent" agreements to supplement our existing for sale business. The Build-For-Rent sales channel added incremental sales volume during fiscal 2023 and allowed us to increase inventory turnover.

We also remain focused on maintaining adequate liquidity and identifying investment opportunities that make economic sense in light of our current sales prices and sales paces. Our excess liquidity in fiscal years 2023, 2022 and 2021 allowed us to repurchase $245.0 million, $100.0 million and $180.9 million in aggregate principal of senior secured notes, respectively. In response to changing market conditions, we have been strategic in new land purchases at pricing that we believe will generate appropriate investment returns needed to sustain profitability. In addition to our current focus on liquidity and flexibility, we intend to continue to focus on our historic key business strategies, as enumerated below. We believe that these strategies separate us from our competitors in the residential homebuilding industry and the adoption, implementation and adherence to these principles will continue to benefit our business.

Our goal is to become a significant builder in each of the selected markets in which we operate, which will enable us to achieve economies of scale and differentiate ourselves from most of our competitors.

As noted above, we offer a broad product array to provide housing to a wide range of customers. Our customers consist of first-time buyers, first-time and second-time move-up buyers, luxury buyers, active lifestyle buyers and empty nesters. Our diverse product array includes single-family detached homes, attached townhomes and condominiums, urban infill and active lifestyle homes.

We are committed to customer satisfaction and quality in the homes that we build. We recognize that our future success rests in the ability to deliver quality homes to satisfied customers. We seek to expand our commitment to customer service through a variety of quality initiatives. In addition, we remain focused on attracting and developing quality associates. See "Human Capital" above for further discussion.

We focus on achieving high returns on invested capital. Each new community is evaluated based on its ability to meet or exceed internal rate of return requirements. Our belief is that the best way to create lasting value for our shareholders is through a strong focus on return on invested capital.

We prefer to use a risk-averse land acquisition strategy. We attempt to acquire land with a minimum cash investment and negotiate takedown options, thereby limiting the financial exposure to the amounts invested in property and predevelopment costs. This approach significantly reduces our risk and generally allows us to obtain necessary development approvals before acquisition of the land.

Our strategy also includes homebuilding and land development joint ventures as a means of controlling lot positions, expanding our market opportunities, establishing strategic alliances, reducing our risk profile, leveraging our capital base and enhancing our returns on capital. Our homebuilding joint ventures are generally entered into with third-party investors to develop land and construct homes that are sold directly to home buyers. Our land development joint ventures include those with developers and other homebuilders, as well as financial investors to develop finished lots for sale to the joint venture’s members or other third-parties.

We manage our financial services operations to better serve all of our home buyers. Our current mortgage financing and title service operations enhance our contact with customers and allow us to coordinate the home-buying experience from beginning to end. Further, we are able to employ a range of pricing incentives through our mortgage financing operations, including temporary and permanent mortgage rate buy downs, which are tools that provide buyers with the opportunity to secure mortgage rates below market level.

Operating Policies and Procedures

We attempt to reduce the effect of certain risks inherent in the housing industry through the following policies and procedures:

Training - Our training is designed to provide our associates with the knowledge, attitudes, skills and habits necessary to succeed in their jobs. Our training department regularly conducts in-person, online or webinar training in sales, construction, administration and managerial skills.

Land Acquisition, Planning, and Development - Before entering into a contract to acquire land, we complete extensive comparative studies and analyses which assist us in evaluating the economic feasibility of such land acquisition.

Design - Our residential communities are generally located in urban and suburban areas easily accessible through public and personal transportation. Our communities are designed as neighborhoods that fit existing land characteristics. We strive to create diversity within the overall planned community by offering a mix of homes with differing architecture, textures and colors. Recreational amenities, such as swimming pools, tennis courts, clubhouses, open areas and tot lots, are frequently included.

Construction - We design and supervise the development and building of our communities. Our homes are constructed according to standardized prototypes, which are designed and engineered to provide innovative product design while attempting to minimize costs of construction. We generally employ subcontractors for the installation of site improvements and construction of homes. Agreements with subcontractors are generally short term and provide for a fixed price for labor and materials. We rigorously control costs through the use of computerized monitoring systems. 

Because of the risks involved in speculative building, our general policy is to construct an attached condominium or townhouse building only after signing contracts for the sale of at least 50% of the homes in that building. Historically, a majority of our single-family detached homes were constructed after the signing of a sales contract and mortgage approval was obtained, which limits the buildup of inventory of unsold homes and the costs of maintaining and carrying that inventory. Beginning in fiscal 2022 and continuing in fiscal 2023, we increased our inventory of QMI homes in connection with our current business strategy discussed above.

Materials and Subcontractors - We attempt to maintain efficient operations by utilizing standardized materials available from a variety of sources. In addition, we generally contract with subcontractors to construct our homes. We have reduced construction and administrative costs by consolidating the number of vendors serving certain markets and by executing national purchasing contracts with select vendors. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we have experienced construction delays due to shortages in the supply of materials, as well as labor shortages in all of our markets. The impact and the particular materials associated with the delays is varied from market to market. We have improved our cycle times since the beginning of fiscal 2023 by approximately 30 days but are still currently experiencing increased construction cycle times of 45-60 days over our pre-pandemic average in many of our markets. We cannot predict the extent to which shortages in necessary materials or labor will continue or re-occur in our markets in the future. However, as home sales slow nationally, we expect pressure to alleviate on material suppliers and subcontractors, which over time should, absent other factors, allow construction cycle times to revert back to historical norms.

Marketing and Sales - Our homes in residential communities are sold principally through on-site sales offices. In order to respond to our customers’ needs and trends in housing design, we rely upon our internal market research group to analyze information gathered from, among other sources, buyer profiles, exit interviews at model sites, focus groups and demographic databases. We make use of our website, internet, newspaper, radio, television, magazine, billboard, video and direct mail advertising, special and promotional events, illustrated brochures and full-sized and scale model homes in our comprehensive marketing program. Recently, we have started offering curated "Looks" packages for customers to select, rather than a large number of a la carte options. This approach has continued to expand and provides customers with a more streamlined selection process and allows us to be more efficient in purchasing, sales and construction. 

We have a national call center which is responsible for follow up generated by our website and our digital marketing efforts. The call center supports our ability to swiftly respond to incoming customer leads, schedule and conduct virtual tours and video chats, as well as set up in person model home tours.

Customer Service and Quality Control - In many of our markets, associates are responsible for customer service and preclosing quality control inspections as well as responding to post-closing customer needs. Prior to closing, each home is inspected, and any necessary completion work is undertaken by us or our subcontractors. Our homes are enrolled in a standard limited warranty program which, in general, provides a homebuyer with a limited warranty for the home’s materials and workmanship which follows each state’s applicable statute of repose. All of the warranties contain standard exceptions, including, but not limited to, damage caused by the customer.

Customer Financing - We sell our homes to customers who generally finance their purchases through mortgages. Our financial services segment provides our customers with competitive financing and coordinates and expedites the loan origination transaction through the steps of loan application, loan approval, and closing and title services. We originate loans in each of the states in which we build homes. We believe that our ability to offer financing to customers on competitive terms as a part of the sales process is an important factor in completing sales.

During the year ended October 31, 2023, for the markets in which our mortgage subsidiaries originated loans, 19.8% of our home buyers paid in cash and 70.1% of our noncash home buyers obtained mortgages from our mortgage banking subsidiary. The loans we originated in fiscal 2023 were 69.8% conforming conventional loans and 29.5% Federal Housing Administration/Veterans Affairs (“FHA/VA”). The remaining 0.7% of our loan originations represented loans which exceeded conforming conventions.

We sell virtually all of the loans and loan-servicing rights that we originate within a short period of time. Loans are sold either individually or against forward commitments to institutional investors, including banks, mortgage banking firms, and savings and loan associations.

Residential Development Activities

Our residential development activities include site planning and engineering, obtaining environmental and other regulatory approvals and constructing roads, sewer, water, and drainage facilities, recreational facilities, and other amenities and marketing and selling homes. These activities are performed by our associates, together with independent architects, consultants and contractors. Our associates also carry out long-term planning of communities. A residential development generally includes single-family detached homes and/or a number of residential buildings containing from two to 24 individual homes per building, together with amenities, such as club houses, swimming pools, tennis courts, tot lots and open areas.

Information on housing revenues, homes delivered and average sales price by segment for the year ended October 31, 2023, is set forth below:

(1) Represents housing revenues and home deliveries for our domestic unconsolidated homebuilding joint ventures for the period. We provide this data as a supplement to our consolidated results as an indicator of the volume managed in our domestic unconsolidated joint ventures. In addition, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, we delivered 2,176 homes through our unconsolidated joint venture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a further discussion of our unconsolidated joint ventures.

Net Sales Contracts

The dollar value of our net sales contracts, excluding unconsolidated joint ventures, was $2.5 billion for both the years ended October 31, 2023 and 2022 and the number of homes contracted increased 3.8% to 4,647 in fiscal 2023 from 4,477 in fiscal 2022.

 Information on the dollar value of net sales contracts by segment for the years ended October 31, 2023 and 2022, is set forth below:

(1) Represents net contract dollars for our domestic unconsolidated homebuilding joint ventures for the period. We provide this data as a supplement to our consolidated results as an indicator of the volume managed in our domestic unconsolidated joint ventures. In addition, during fiscal 2023 and 2022, we contracted 13 homes and 300 homes, respectively, through our unconsolidated joint venture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a further discussion of our unconsolidated joint ventures.

Active Selling Communities

The average number of active selling communities increased from 113 for fiscal 2022 to 114 for fiscal 2023. We ended fiscal 2023 with 113 active selling communities as compared to 121 active selling communities at October 31, 2022.

Information on our active selling communities by segment as of October 31, 2023, is set forth below. Contracted not delivered and remaining homes available in our active selling communities are included in the consolidated total homesites under the total residential real estate chart in Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” 

Backlog

At October 31, 2023 and 2022, including domestic unconsolidated joint ventures, we had a backlog of signed contracts for 2,196 homes and 2,497 homes, respectively, representing a 12.1% decrease, with sales values aggregating $1.3 billion and $1.5 billion, respectively. Additionally at October 31, 2023 and 2022, we had a backlog of signed contracts for 50 homes and 2,213 homes, respectively, from our unconsolidated joint venture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The majority of our backlog at October 31, 2023 is expected to be completed and closed within the next six to nine months. 

Current base prices for our homes in contract backlog at October 31, 2023, range from $135,000 to $1,770,000 in the Northeast, from $294,000 to $1,140,000 in the Southeast and from $269,000 to $884,000 in the West.

At November 30, 2023 and 2022, our backlog of signed contracts, including domestic unconsolidated joint ventures, was 2,158 homes and 2,396 homes, respectively, with sales values aggregating $1.3 billion and $1.4 billion, respectively. Additionally at November 30, 2023 and 2022, we had a backlog of signed contracts for 20 homes and 2,218 homes, respectively, from our unconsolidated joint venture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For information on our backlog excluding unconsolidated joint ventures, see the contract table in Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Homebuilding: Key Performance Indicators.”

Sales of our homes typically are made pursuant to a standard sales contract that provides the customer with a statutorily mandated right of rescission for a period ranging up to 15 days after execution. Sales contracts require a nominal customer deposit at the time of signing. In addition, in some Northeast locations, we typically obtain an additional 5% to 10% down payment due within 30 to 60 days after signing. In most markets, an additional deposit is required when a customer selects and commits to optional upgrades in the home. The contract may include a financing contingency, which permits customers to cancel their obligation in the event mortgage financing at prevailing interest rates (including financing arranged or provided by us) is unobtainable within the period specified in the contract. This contingency period typically is four to eight weeks following the date of execution of the contract. When mortgage rates increase or housing values decline in certain markets, some customers cancel their contracts and forfeit their deposits. Sales contracts are included in backlog once the sales contract is signed by the customer, which in some cases includes contracts that are in the rescission or cancellation periods. However, revenues from sales of homes are recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, when control is transferred to the buyer, which occurs when the buyer takes title to and possession of the home and there is no continuing involvement. For further information on cancellation rates, see the contract cancellation rates table in Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Homebuilding: Key Performance Indicators.”

Residential Land Inventory in Planning

It is our objective to control a supply of land, primarily through options, whenever possible, consistent with anticipated homebuilding requirements in each of our housing markets. Controlled land (land owned and under option) as of October 31, 2023, exclusive of active selling communities and excluding unconsolidated joint ventures, is summarized in the following table. The proposed developable home sites in communities in planning are included in the 31,754 consolidated total home sites under the total residential real estate table in Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Communities in Planning

We either option or acquire improved or unimproved home sites from land developers or other sellers. Under a typical agreement with the land developer, we purchase a minimal number of home sites. The balance of the home sites to be purchased is covered under an option agreement or a nonrecourse purchase agreement. During a declining homebuilding market, we typically decide to "mothball" (or stop development on) certain communities where we have determined that current market conditions do not justify further investment at that time. When we decide to mothball a community, the inventory is reclassified on our Consolidated Balance Sheets from "Sold and unsold homes and lots under development" to "Land and land options held for future development or sale". See Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion on mothballed communities.

Raw Materials

The homebuilding industry has from time-to-time experienced raw material and labor shortages. In particular, shortages and fluctuations in the price of lumber or other important raw materials has resulted in the past, and could result in the future, in start or completion delays or increases to the cost of developing one or more of our residential communities. We attempt to maintain efficient operations by utilizing standardized materials available from a variety of sources. In addition, we generally contract with subcontractors to construct our homes. We have reduced construction and administrative costs by consolidating the number of vendors serving certain markets and by executing national purchasing contracts with select vendors. During fiscal 2023, relative to the prior fiscal year, labor and material shortages that were initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic continued to gradually improve. For example, we previously experienced a significant rise in lumber prices caused by supply chain issues, but due to increased availability prices began to decrease during the second half of fiscal 2022 and into fiscal 2023. We cannot predict, however, the extent to which shortages in necessary raw materials or labor may occur in the future.

Seasonality

Our business is seasonal in nature and, historically, weather-related problems, typically in the fall, late winter and early spring, can delay starts or closings and increase costs.

Competition

Our homebuilding operations are highly competitive. We are among the top 20 homebuilders in the United States in both homebuilding revenues and home deliveries. We compete with numerous real estate developers in each of the geographic areas in which we operate. Our competition ranges from small local builders to larger private regional builders to publicly owned builders and developers, some of which have greater sales and financial resources than we do. Previously owned homes and the availability of rental housing provide additional competition. We compete primarily on the basis of reputation, price, location, design, quality, service and amenities.

Regulation and Environmental Matters

We are subject to extensive and complex laws and regulations that affect the development of land and home building, sales and customer financing processes concerning zoning, building design, construction, and similar matters, including local regulations which impose restrictive zoning and density requirements in order to limit the number of homes that can eventually be built within the boundaries of a particular locality. In addition, we are subject to registration and filing requirements in connection with the construction, advertisement and sale of our communities in certain states and localities in which we operate even if all necessary government approvals have been obtained. We may also be subject to periodic delays or may be precluded entirely from developing communities due to building moratoriums that could be implemented in the future in the states in which we operate. Generally, such moratoriums relate to insufficient water or sewerage facilities or inadequate road capacity.

In addition, some state and local governments in markets where we operate have approved, and others may approve, slow-growth, or no-growth initiatives that could negatively affect the availability of land and building opportunities within those areas. Approval of these initiatives could adversely affect our ability to build and sell homes in the affected markets and/or could require the satisfaction of additional administrative and regulatory requirements, which could result in slowing the progress or increasing the costs of our homebuilding operations in these markets. Any such delays or costs could have a negative effect on our future revenues and earnings.

We are also subject to a variety of local, state, federal and foreign laws and regulations concerning protection of health and the environment, including those regulating the emission or discharge of materials into the environment, the management of storm water runoff at construction sites, the handling, use, storage and disposal of hazardous substances, impacts to wetlands and other sensitive environments, and the remediation of contamination at properties that we have owned or developed or currently own or are developing (“environmental laws”). The particular environmental laws which apply to any given community vary greatly according to the community site, the site’s environmental conditions and the present and former uses of the site. See Risk Factors – “Homebuilders are subject to a number of federal, local, state, and foreign laws and regulations concerning the development of land and homebuilding, sales and customer financing processes and the protection of the environment, which can cause us to incur delays and costs associated with compliance and which can prohibit or restrict our activity in some regions or areas”, Item 3 “Legal Proceedings” and Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Despite our past ability to obtain necessary permits and approvals for our communities, we anticipate that increasingly stringent requirements will be imposed on developers and homebuilders in the future. Although we cannot reliably predict the extent of any effect these requirements may have on us, they could result in time-consuming and expensive compliance programs and in substantial expenditures, which could cause delays and increase our cost of operations. In addition, our ability to obtain or renew permits or approvals and the continued effectiveness of permits already granted or approvals already obtained is dependent upon many factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as changes in policies, rules and regulations and their interpretation and application.

ITEM 1A

RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the following risks in addition to the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto.

Risk Relating to Our Business and Industry

The homebuilding industry is significantly affected by changes in general and local economic conditions and real estate markets, which could affect our ability to build homes at prices our customers are willing or able to pay, could reduce profits that may not be recaptured, could result in cancellation of sales contracts, and could affect our liquidity.

The homebuilding industry is cyclical, has from time-to-time experienced significant difficulties, and is significantly affected by changes in general and local economic conditions such as:   

Turmoil in the financial markets can affect our liquidity. In addition, our cash balances are primarily invested in short-term government-backed instruments. The remaining cash balances are held at numerous financial institutions and may, at times, exceed insurable amounts. We seek to mitigate this risk by depositing our cash in major financial institutions and diversifying our investments. In addition, our homebuilding operations often require us to obtain letters of credit. We have certain stand-alone letter of credit facilities and agreements pursuant to which letters of credit are issued. However, we may need additional letters of credit above the amounts provided under these facilities and letters of credit may not be issued under our current senior secured revolving credit facility. If we are unable to obtain such additional letters of credit as needed to operate our business, we would be adversely affected.

In addition, geopolitical events, acts of war or terrorism, threats to national security, civil unrest, any outbreak or escalation of hostilities throughout the world, tariffs and international trade sanctions, and health pandemics may have a substantial impact on the economy, consumer confidence, the housing market, our associates and our customers, and therefore our business and financial results.

The difficulties described above could cause us to take longer and incur more costs to build our homes. In addition, our insurance may not fully cover business interruptions or losses caused by weather conditions and man-made or natural disasters and we may not be able to recapture increased costs by raising prices in many cases because we fix our prices up to 12 months in advance of delivery by signing home sales contracts. Some buyers may also cancel or not honor their home sales contracts altogether.

Raw material and labor shortages and price fluctuations could delay or increase the cost of home construction and adversely affect our operating results.

The homebuilding industry is vulnerable to raw material and labor shortages and has from time-to-time experienced such shortages. In particular, shortages and fluctuations in the price of lumber or in other important raw materials could result in delays in the start or completion of, or increase the cost of, developing one or more of our residential communities. Pricing for labor and raw materials can be affected by various national, regional, local, economic and political factors. For example, the federal government has previously imposed new or increased tariffs or duties on an array of imported materials and goods that are used in connection with the construction and delivery of our homes, including lumber, raising our costs for these items (or products made with them). Such government-imposed tariffs and trade regulations on imported building supplies, and retaliatory measures by other countries, may in the future have significant impacts on the cost to construct our homes and on our customers’ budgets, including by causing disruptions or shortages in our supply chain. We have also experienced labor shortages, price fluctuations and increased labor costs, including as a result of inflation or wage increases, particularly over the past two years due to historic inflation rates in the United States. The cost of labor may be adversely affected by changes in immigration laws and trends in labor migration. In addition, increased demand could increase material and labor costs. During fiscal 2023, although there was improvement each quarter, we continued to experience construction delays due to shortages in the supply of certain materials, as well as labor and subcontractor shortages in our markets. These delays impact the timing of our expected home closings and may also result in cost increases that we may not be able to pass to our current or future customers. Sustained increases in construction costs may, over time, erode our margins, and impact our total contract or delivery volumes.

Interest rates increased substantially in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 and may continue to increase. Because almost all of our customers require mortgage financing, increases in interest rates or the decreased availability of mortgage financing could considerably impair the affordability of our homes, lower demand for our products, limit our marketing effectiveness and limit our ability to fully realize our backlog.

Virtually all of our customers finance their acquisitions through lenders providing mortgage financing. Mortgage rates, up until recently, had been historically low, which made the homes we sell more affordable. However, mortgage rates have more than doubled since early fiscal year 2022, as a result of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates in an effort to curtail inflation. When interest rates increase, the cost to own a home increases, which reduces the number of potential homebuyers who can obtain mortgage financing and can result in a decline in the demand for our homes. We cannot predict whether interest rates will continue to rise, or the paces of the increases, but further increases would likely have a considerable impact on housing demand.

Increases in interest rates (or the perception that interest rates will rise, including as a result of government actions), have, and could continue to, increase the costs to obtain mortgages, decrease the availability of mortgage financing have, and lower demand for new homes because of the increased monthly mortgage costs and cash required to close on mortgages to potential home buyers. Even if potential customers do not need financing, changes in interest rates and mortgage availability could make it harder for them to sell their existing homes to potential buyers who need financing. This could prevent or limit our ability to attract new customers as well as our ability to fully realize our backlog because our sales contracts generally include a financing contingency. Financing contingencies permit the customer to cancel his/her obligation in the event mortgage financing at prevailing interest rates, including financing arranged or provided by us, is unobtainable within the period specified in the contract. This contingency period is typically four to eight weeks following the date of execution of the sales contract. We believe that the availability of mortgage financing, including through federal government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises (such as Federal National Mortgage Association, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and FHA/VA financing), is an important factor in marketing many of our homes. Any limitations or restrictions on the availability of mortgage financing (including due to any failure of lawmakers to agree on a budget or appropriation legislation to fund relevant programs or operations or as a result of instability in the banking sector) could reduce our sales. Further, if we are unable to originate mortgages for any reason going forward, our customers may experience significant mortgage loan funding issues, which could have a material impact on our homebuilding business and our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Inflation may adversely affect us by increasing costs beyond what we can recover through price increases and by increasing mortgage rates for homebuyers.

Inflation can adversely affect us by increasing costs of land, materials and labor, which we have experienced since fiscal year 2022 due to historic inflation rates. In addition, as discussed above, recent elevated levels of inflation have been accompanied by higher interest rates that could cause a slowdown in the housing market. In an inflationary environment, such as the current economic environment, depending on the homebuilding industry and other economic conditions, we may be unable to raise home prices enough to keep up with the rate of inflation. Moreover, in an inflationary environment, our cost of capital, labor and materials can increase and the purchasing power of our cash resources can decline, which can have an adverse impact on our business or financial results. In an effort to counteract such inflationary pressures and maintain sales volumes in light of these challenges, we have offered increased sales incentives and have been using mortgage rate buydowns for qualifying homebuyers, which reduces our profit margins. These measures may not be successful and continued inflationary pressures could further impact our profitability.

A significant downturn in the homebuilding industry could materially and adversely affect our business.

The homebuilding industry experienced a significant and sustained downturn that began in 2007, during which the lowest volumes of housing starts were significantly below troughs in previous downturns. This downturn resulted in an industry-wide softening of demand for new homes due to a lack of consumer confidence, decreased availability of mortgage financing, and large supplies of resale and new home inventories, among other factors. In addition, an oversupply of alternatives to new homes, such as rental properties, resale homes and foreclosures, depressed prices and reduced margins for the sale of new homes. Industry conditions had a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations in fiscal 2007 through 2011. Further, we had substantially increased our inventory through fiscal 2006, which required significant cash outlays and which increased our price and margin exposure as we worked through this inventory. If the homebuilding industry experiences another significant or sustained downturn, it would materially adversely affect our business and results of operations in future years. In particular, during the second half of fiscal 2022 and into fiscal 2023, housing demand weakened due to a sharp increase in mortgage rates, the substantial increase in home prices experienced over the past two years, significant inflation in the broader economy, stock market volatility, and other macro-economic conditions, which have adversely impacted buyer sentiment and behavior.

Public health issues such as a major epidemic or pandemic could adversely affect our business or financial results.

The U.S. and other countries have experienced, and may experience in the future, outbreaks of contagious diseases that affect public health and public perception of health risk. The World Health Organization previously declared COVID-19 a pandemic, resulting in federal, state and local governments and private entities mandating various restrictions quarantines, curfews, “stay-at-home” or “shelter in place” orders and similar mandates for many individuals to substantially restrict daily activities and for many businesses to curtail or cease normal operations. We responded in various ways to the governmental measures, including, among other measures, temporarily closing our sales offices, model homes and design studios to the general public, limiting our construction operations, and reducing the municipal and private services we rely on, which substantially tempered our sales pace. The effects of COVID-19 caused multiple disruptions in our supply chain and resulted in shortages in certain building materials and tightness in the labor market, which has caused our construction cycle times to lengthen compared to prior to the pandemic.

Future disruptions and governmental actions, due to COVID-19 or a different epidemic or pandemic, combined with any associated economic and/or social instability or distress, may have an adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

The homebuilding industry is significantly affected by changes in weather and other environmental conditions and resulting governmental regulations and increased focus by stakeholders on sustainability issues. 

Weather conditions and man-made or natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods or prolonged precipitation, droughts, fires and other environmental conditions have harmed us in the past, and may harm us in the future, the local homebuilding business. Additionally, the physical impacts of climate change may cause these occurrences to increase in frequency, severity and duration, which can delay home construction, increase costs by damaging inventories, reduce the availability of building materials, and adversely impact the demand for new homes in affected areas, as well as slow down or otherwise impair the ability of utilities and local governmental authorities to provide approvals and service to new housing communities. For example, wildfires in California and hurricanes in Texas and Florida in recent years have at various times caused utility company delays, slowing of our production process, increasing cost of operations and also impacting our sales and construction activity in affected markets during the related time periods. Additionally, other coastal areas where we operate face increased risks of adverse weather or natural disasters.

In addition, there is a growing concern from advocacy groups and the general public that the emissions of greenhouse gases and other human activities have caused, or will cause, significant changes in weather patterns and temperatures and the frequency and severity of natural disasters. Government mandates, standards and regulations enacted in response to these projected climate changes impacts could result in restrictions on land development in certain areas or increased energy, transportation and raw material costs that may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. These concerns have also resulted in increasing government, investor and societal attention to environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") matters, including expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence, and disclosure on topics such as climate change, waste production, water usage, human capital, labor, and risk oversight, and could expand the nature, scope, and complexity of matters that we are required to control, assess, and report. These and other rapidly changing laws, regulations, policies and related interpretations, as well as increased enforcement actions by various governmental and regulatory agencies, may create challenges for the Company, including with respect to our compliance and ethics programs, may alter the environment in which we do business, and may increase the ongoing costs of compliance, which could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

Our business is seasonal in nature and our quarterly operating results fluctuate.

Our quarterly operating results generally fluctuate by season. The construction of a customer’s home typically begins after signing the agreement of sale and can take six to nine months or more to complete. Weather-related problems, typically in the fall, winter and early spring, can delay starts or closings and increase costs and thus reduce profitability. In addition, delays in opening communities could have an adverse effect on our sales and revenues. Due to these factors, our quarterly operating results will likely continue to fluctuate.

Our success depends on the availability of suitable undeveloped land and improved lots at acceptable prices and our having sufficient liquidity to fund such investments.

Our success in developing land and in building and selling homes depends in part upon the continued availability of suitable undeveloped land and improved lots at acceptable prices. The homebuilding industry is highly competitive for land that is suitable for residential development and the availability of undeveloped land and improved lots for purchase at favorable prices depends on a number of factors outside of our control, including the risk of competitive overbidding on land and lots, geographical or topographical constraints and restrictive governmental regulation. Should suitable land opportunities become less available, our ability to implement our strategies and operational actions would be limited and the number of homes we may be able to build and sell would be reduced, which would reduce revenue and profits. In addition, our ability to make land purchases will depend on us having sufficient liquidity to fund such purchases. We may be at a disadvantage in competing for land compared to others who have more substantial cash resources.

We rely on subcontractors to construct our homes and may incur costs or losses if these subcontractors fail to properly construct our homes or manage and pay their employees, or if products supplied to us by subcontractors are defective.

We engage subcontractors to perform the actual construction of our homes and, in some cases, to select and obtain building materials. Therefore, the timing and quality of our construction depends on the availability, skill, and cost of our subcontractors. Despite our quality control efforts, we may discover that our subcontractors failed to properly construct our homes or may use defective materials, which, if widely used in our business, could result in the need to perform extensive repairs to large numbers of homes. The occurrence of such events could require us to repair the homes in accordance with our standards and as required by law. The cost of complying with our warranty obligations may be significant if we are unable to recover the cost of repairs from subcontractors, materials suppliers and insurers. In addition, the cost of satisfying our legal obligations in these instances may be significant, and we may be unable to recover the cost of repair from subcontractors and insurers.

We also can suffer damage to our reputation, and may be exposed to possible liability, if subcontractors fail to comply with applicable laws, including laws involving actions or matters that are not within our control. When we learn about possibly improper practices by subcontractors, we attempt to cause the subcontractors to discontinue them and may terminate the use of such subcontractors. However, attempts at mitigation may not avoid claims against us relating to actions of or matters relating to our subcontractors that are out of our control. For example, although we do not have the ability to control what these independent subcontractors pay their own employees, or their own subcontractors, or the work rules they impose on such personnel, federal and state governmental agencies, including the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, have sought, and may in the future seek, to hold contracting parties like us responsible for subcontractors’ violations of wage and hour laws, or workers’ compensation, collective bargaining and/or other employment-related obligations related to subcontractors’ workforces. Governmental agency determinations or attempts by others to make us responsible for subcontractors’ labor practices or obligations, could create substantial adverse exposure for us in these types of situations even though not within our control.

Changes in economic and market conditions could result in the sale of homes at a loss or holding land in inventory longer than planned, the cost of which can be significant.

Land inventory risk can be substantial for homebuilders. We must continuously seek and make acquisitions of land for expansion into new markets and for replacement and expansion of land inventory within our current markets. We incur many costs even before we begin to build homes in a community. Depending on the stage of development of a land parcel when we acquire it, these may include costs of preparing land, finishing and entitling lots, installing roads, sewers, water systems and other utilities, taxes and other costs related to ownership of the land on which we plan to build homes. The market value of undeveloped land, buildable lots and housing inventories can fluctuate significantly as a result of changing economic and market conditions. In the event of significant changes in economic or market conditions, we may have to sell homes at a loss or hold land in inventory longer than planned. In the case of land options, we could choose not to exercise them, in which case we would write-off the value of these options. Inventory carrying costs, including the costs of holding QMI homes, can be significant and can result in losses in a poorly performing project or market. The assessment of communities for indication of impairment is performed quarterly. While we consider available information to determine what we believe to be our best estimates as of the reporting period, these estimates are subject to change in future reporting periods as facts and circumstances change. See Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation—Critical Accounting Policies.”

We conduct a significant portion of our business in Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia, and accordingly, regional factors affecting home sales and activities in these markets may have a large impact on our results of operations.

We presently conduct a significant portion of our business in Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia, which subjects us to risks associated with the regional and local economies of these markets. Home prices and sales activities in these markets and in most of the other markets in which we operate have declined from time to time, particularly as a result of slow economic growth. These markets may also depend, to a degree, on certain sectors of the economy, and any declines in those sectors may impact home sales and activities in that region. For example, to the extent the oil and gas industries, which can be very volatile, are negatively impacted by declining commodity prices, climate change, legislation or other factors, it could result in reduced employment, or other negative economic consequences, which in turn could adversely impact our home sales and activities in Texas. Furthermore, precarious economic and budget situations at the state government level may adversely affect the market for our homes in the affected areas. Weather-related or other events impacting these markets could also negatively affect these markets as well as the other markets in which we operate. If home prices and sales activity decline in one or more of the markets in which we operate, our costs may not decline at all or at the same rate and the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Increases in cancellations of agreements of sale could have an adverse effect on our business.

Our backlog reflects agreements of sale with our home buyers for homes that have not yet been delivered. We have received a deposit from our home buyer for each home, which is reflected in our backlog, and we generally have the right to retain the deposit if the home buyer does not complete the purchase. In some situations, however, a home buyer may cancel the agreement of sale and receive a complete or partial refund of the deposit for reasons related to state and local law, an inability to obtain mortgage financing at prevailing interest rates (including financing arranged or provided by us), an inability to sell their current home, or our inability to complete and deliver the new home within the specified time. At October 31, 2023, including unconsolidated joint ventures, we had a backlog of signed contracts for 2,246 homes with a sales value aggregating $1.3 billion. If mortgage financing becomes less accessible, or if economic conditions deteriorate, more home buyers may cancel their agreements of sale with us, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. 

Increases in the after-tax costs of owning a home could prevent potential customers from buying our homes and adversely affect our business or financial results.

Significant expenses of owning a home, including mortgage interest expenses and real estate taxes, have historically been deductible expenses for an individual’s federal, and in some cases state, income taxes, subject to limitations under tax law and policy. The “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” which was signed into law in December 2017 includes provisions which impose significant limitations with respect to these income tax deductions. For instance, through the end of 2025, the annual deduction for real estate taxes and state and local income taxes (or sales taxes in lieu of income taxes) is now generally limited to $10,000. Furthermore, through the end of 2025, the deduction for mortgage interest is generally only available with respect to the first $750,000 of a new mortgage and there is no longer a federal deduction for interest on home equity loans. In addition, if the federal government or a state government further changes its income tax laws to further eliminate or substantially limit these income tax deductions, the after-tax cost of owning a new home would further increase for many of our potential customers. The loss or reduction of these homeowner tax deductions that have historically been available has and could further reduce the perceived affordability of homeownership, and therefore the demand for and sales price of new homes, including ours, particularly in states with higher state income taxes or home prices, such as in California and New Jersey. In addition, increases in property tax rates or fees on developers by local governmental authorities, as experienced in response to reduced federal and state funding or to fund local initiatives, such as funding schools or road improvements, or increases in insurance premiums can adversely affect the ability of potential customers to obtain financing or their desire to purchase new homes, and can have an adverse impact on our business and financial results.

Further, existing and prospective regulatory and societal focus on and responses to climate change intended to reduce potential climate change impacts may increase the upfront costs of purchasing a home, costs to maintain the home and its systems, energy and utility costs and the cost to obtain homeowner and various hazard and flood insurance, or limit homeowners’ ability to obtain these insurance policies altogether. Although these items have not materially impacted our business to date, they could adversely affect our business in the future.

Mortgage investors could seek to have us buy back loans or compensate them for losses incurred on mortgages we have sold based on claims that we breached our limited representations or warranties.

Our financial services segment originates mortgages, primarily for our homebuilding customers. Substantially all of the mortgage loans originated are sold within a short period of time in the secondary mortgage market on a servicing released, nonrecourse basis, although we remain liable for certain limited representations, such as fraud, and warranties related to loan sales. Accordingly, mortgage investors have in the past and could in the future seek to have us buy back loans or compensate them for losses incurred on mortgages we have sold based on claims that we breached our limited representations or warranties. While we believe our reserves are adequate for known losses and projected repurchase requests, given the volatility in the mortgage industry and the uncertainty regarding the ultimate resolution of these claims, if either actual repurchases or the losses incurred resolving those repurchases exceed our expectations, additional expense may be incurred. We may have significant liabilities in respect of such claims in the future, which could exceed our reserves, and the impact of such claims on our results of operations could be material. Further, an increase in the default rate on the mortgages we originate may adversely affect our ability to sell mortgages or the pricing we receive upon the sale of mortgages.

We compete on several levels with homebuilders that may have greater sales and financial resources, which could hurt future earnings.

We compete not only for home buyers but also for desirable properties, financing, raw materials and skilled labor often within larger subdivisions designed, planned and developed by other homebuilders. Our competitors include other local, regional and national homebuilders, some of which have greater sales and financial resources or more established relationships with suppliers and subcontractors in the markets in which we operate. In addition, we compete with other housing alternatives, such as existing homes and rental housing. In the homebuilding industry, we compete primarily on the basis of reputation, price, location, design, quality, service and amenities. Our financial services segment competes with other mortgage providers, primarily on the basis of fees, interest rates and other features of mortgage loan products.

The competitive conditions in the homebuilding industry together with current market conditions have caused, and could continue to result in, difficulty in acquiring suitable land at acceptable prices; increased selling incentives; lower sales; delays in construction; or impairment of our ability to implement our strategies and operational actions. Any of these problems could increase costs and/or lower profit margins.

Utility shortages and outages or rate fluctuations could have an adverse effect on our operations.

In prior years, the areas in which we operate in California have experienced power shortages, including periods without electrical power, as well as significant fluctuations in utility costs. We may incur additional costs and may not be able to complete construction on a timely basis if such power shortages and outages and utility rate fluctuations continue. Furthermore, power shortages and outages and rate fluctuations may adversely affect the regional economies in which we operate, which may reduce demand for our homes. Our operations may be adversely affected if further rate fluctuations and/or power shortages and outages occur in California, or in our other markets.

Information technology failures and data security breaches could harm our business.

We use information technology ("IT"), digital telecommunications and other computer resources to conduct important operational activities and to maintain our business records. In addition, we rely on the systems of third parties, such as third-party vendors. Our computer systems, including our backup systems, and those of the third parties on whose systems we rely, are subject to damage or interruption from computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, power outages, security breaches (including through phishing attempts, data-theft and cyber-attack), ransomware attacks, usage errors by our associates or other business partners or outside service providers, and catastrophic events, such as fires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. Cyber-attacks and other security threats could originate from a wide variety of external sources, including cyber-criminals, nation-state hackers, hacktivists and other outside parties. Cyber-attacks and other security threats could also originate from the malicious or accidental acts of insiders, such as employees, and other business partners and outside service providers. 

As part of our normal business activities, we collect and store certain personal identifying and confidential information relating to our homebuyers, employees, vendors and suppliers, and maintain operational and financial information related to our business. We may share some of this confidential information with our vendors. We rely on our vendors and third-party service providers to maintain effective cybersecurity measures to keep our information secure. If our computer systems and our backup systems, or those of the third parties on whose systems we rely, are breached, compromised or damaged, or otherwise cease to function properly, we could suffer interruptions in our operations or the misappropriation of proprietary, personal identifying or confidential information, including information about our business partners and home buyers. Our or our vendors’ and third-party service providers’ failure to maintain the security of the data we are required to protect could result in damage to our reputation, financial obligations to third parties, fines, penalties, regulatory proceedings and private litigation with potentially large costs, and also in deterioration in customers’ confidence in us and other competitive disadvantages. 

Data protection and privacy laws have been enacted by the U.S. federal and state governments, including the California Privacy Rights Act and the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, and the regulatory regime continues to evolve and is increasingly demanding. Many states have passed or are considering privacy and security legislation and there are ongoing discussions regarding a federal privacy law. Variations in requirements across other states could present compliance challenges, as well as increased costs related to compliance.

Privacy, security, and compliance concerns have continued to increase as technology has evolved. We maintain cybersecurity insurance coverage, which may not fully cover the costs related to cyber or other security threats or disruptions, and have implemented systems and processes intended to secure our information technology systems and prevent unauthorized access to or loss of sensitive, confidential and personal data, including through the use of encryption and authentication technologies as well as prevent the diversion or theft of company funds through various forms of social engineering. Additionally, we have increased our monitoring capabilities to enhance early detection and rapid response to potential security anomalies. These measures, which require ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures are continually evolving and have become increasingly sophisticated, are costly and may not be effective in preventing or mitigating significant negative occurrences or irregularities in our systems or those of third parties on whose systems we rely. In addition, cyber-attacks or other security breaches may persist undetected over extended periods of time and may not be mitigated in a timely manner to minimize the impact of a cyber-attack or other security breach. While, to date, we have not had a significant cybersecurity breach or attack that has a material impact on our business or results of operations, our efforts to maintain the security and integrity of our IT networks and related systems may not be effective and attempted security breaches or disruptions could be successful or damaging.

Negative publicity could adversely affect our reputation and our business, financial results and stock price.

Our reputation and brand are critical to our success. Unfavorable media related to our industry, company, brand, personnel, operations, business performance, or prospects may impact our stock price and the performance of our business, regardless of its accuracy or inaccuracy. The speed at which negative publicity is disseminated has increased dramatically through the use of electronic communication, including social media outlets, websites, “tweets,” and blogs. Our success in maintaining and expanding our brand image depends on our ability to adapt to this rapidly changing media environment. Adverse publicity or negative commentary from any media outlets could damage our reputation and reduce the demand for our homes, which would adversely affect our business.

Global economic and political instability and conflicts could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our business could be adversely affected by unstable economic and political conditions within the United States, instability in foreign jurisdictions and geopolitical conflicts. While we do not have any customer or direct supplier relationships in any of the foreign countries or regions involved in the current military conflicts, any related sanctions, export controls or actions that may be initiated by nations (e.g., potential cyberattacks, disruption of energy flows, etc.) and other potential uncertainties could adversely affect our supply chain by causing shortages or increases in costs for materials necessary to construct homes and/or increases to the price of gasoline and other fuels. In addition, such events could cause higher interest rates, inflation or general economic uncertainty, which could negatively impact our business partners, employees or customers, or otherwise adversely impact our business.

Risks Related to Our Debt and Liquidity

Our high leverage may restrict our ability to operate, prevent us from fulfilling our obligations, and adversely affect our financial condition.

We have a significant amount of debt.

As of October 31, 2023, we had an aggregate of $4.9 million outstanding under various letters of credit and other credit facilities and agreements, certain of which were collateralized by $5.1 million of cash. Our fees for these letters of credit for the year ended October 31, 2023, which are based on both the used and unused portion of the facilities and agreements, were $0.1 million. We also had substantial contractual commitments and contingent obligations, including $187.3 million of performance bonds as of October 31, 2023. See Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Contractual Obligations.”

Our significant amount of debt could have important consequences. For example, it could:

Our ability to meet our debt service and other obligations will depend upon our future performance. We are engaged in businesses that are substantially affected by changes in economic cycles. Our revenues and earnings vary with the level of general economic activity in the markets we serve. Our businesses are also affected by customer sentiment and financial, political, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. The factors that affect our ability to generate cash can also affect our ability to raise additional funds for these purposes through the sale of equity or debt securities, the refinancing of debt or the sale of assets. Changes in prevailing interest rates may affect our ability to meet our debt service obligations to the extent we have any floating rate indebtedness. A higher interest rate on our debt service obligations could result in lower earnings or increased losses.

Our sources of liquidity are limited and may not be sufficient to meet our needs.

We are largely dependent on our current cash balance and future cash flows from operations (which may not be positive) to enable us to service our indebtedness, to cover our operating expenses and/or to fund our other liquidity needs. Cash provided by operating activities in fiscal 2023 and 2022 was $435.3 million and $89.5 million, respectively. Depending on the levels of our land purchases, we could generate positive or negative cash flow in future years. If there is a sustained decline in market conditions in the homebuilding industry over the next several years, our cash flows could be insufficient to fund our obligations and support land purchases, and if we cannot buy additional land, we would ultimately be unable to generate future revenues from the sale of houses. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations or we are unable to refinance our indebtedness, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful or, if successful, made on desirable terms and may not permit us to meet our debt service obligations. We have also entered into certain cash collateralized letters of credit agreements and facilities that require us to maintain specified amounts of cash in segregated accounts as collateral to support our letters of credit issued thereunder. If our available cash and capital resources are insufficient to meet our debt service and other obligations, we could face liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or the proceeds from the dispositions may not be permitted under the terms of our debt instruments to be used to service indebtedness or may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due. For additional information about capital resources and liquidity, see Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Capital Resources and Liquidity.”

Our cash flows, liquidity and consolidated financial statements could be materially and adversely affected if we are unable to obtain letters of credit.

Our homebuilding operations often require us to obtain letters of credit. We have certain stand-alone letter of credit facilities and agreements pursuant to which letters of credit are issued. However, letters of credit may not be issued under our current senior secured revolving credit facility, and we may need additional letters of credit above the amounts provided under these stand-alone facilities and agreements. If we are unable to obtain such additional letters of credit as needed to operate our business, we would be adversely affected.

We may have difficulty in obtaining the additional financing required to operate and develop our business.

Our operations require significant amounts of cash, and we may be required to seek additional capital, whether from sales of debt or equity securities or borrowing additional money, for the future growth and development of our business. The terms and/or availability of additional capital is uncertain. Moreover, the agreements governing our outstanding debt instruments contain provisions that restrict the debt we may incur in the future and our ability to pay dividends on equity. If we are not successful in obtaining sufficient capital, it could reduce our sales and may hinder our future growth and results of operations. In addition, pledging substantially all of our assets to support our senior secured revolving credit facility and our senior secured notes may make it more difficult to raise additional financing in the future.

We could be adversely affected by a negative change in our credit rating.

Our ability to access capital on favorable terms is a key factor in our ability to service our indebtedness to cover our operating expenses and to fund our other liquidity needs. Negative rating actions by credit agencies, including downgrades, may make it more difficult and costly for us to access capital. Therefore, any downgrade by any of the principal credit agencies may exacerbate these difficulties. There can be no assurances that our credit ratings will not be downgraded in the future, whether as a result of deteriorating general economic conditions, a protracted downturn in the housing industry, failure to successfully implement our operating strategy, the adverse impact on our results of operations or liquidity position of any of the above, or otherwise.

Restrictive covenants in our debt instruments may restrict our and certain of our subsidiaries’ ability to operate, and if our financial performance worsens, we may not be able to undertake transactions within the restrictions of our debt instruments.

The indentures governing our outstanding debt securities and our credit facilities impose certain restrictions on our and certain of our subsidiaries’ operations and activities. The most significant restrictions relate to debt incurrence, creation of liens, repayment of certain indebtedness prior to its respective stated maturity, sales of assets (including in certain land banking transactions), cash distributions, (including paying dividends on common and preferred stock), capital stock repurchases, and investments by us and certain of our subsidiaries (including in joint ventures). Because of these restrictions, we could be prohibited from paying dividends on our common and preferred stock.

The restrictions in our debt instruments could prohibit or restrict our and certain of our subsidiaries’ activities, such as undertaking capital raising or restructuring activities or entering into other transactions. In addition, if we fail to comply with these restrictions or to make timely payments on this debt and other material indebtedness, an event of default could occur and our debt under these debt instruments could become due and payable prior to maturity. Any such event of default could lead to cross defaults under certain of our other debt instruments or negatively impact other debt-related covenants. In any of these situations, we may be unable to amend the applicable debt instrument or obtain a waiver without significant additional cost, or at all, and we may be unable to obtain alternative financing. Any such situation could have a material adverse effect on the solvency of the Company.

The terms of our debt instruments allow us to incur additional indebtedness.

Under the terms of our indebtedness under our indentures and credit facilities, we have the ability, subject to our debt covenants, to incur additional amounts of debt, including secured debt. The incurrence of additional indebtedness could magnify the risks described above. In addition, certain obligations, such as standby letters of credit and performance bonds issued in the ordinary course of business, including those issued under our stand-alone letter of credit agreements and facilities, are not considered indebtedness under our debt instruments (and may be secured) and, therefore, are not subject to limits in our debt covenants.

Regulatory and Legal Risks

Homebuilders are subject to a number of federal, local, state, and foreign laws and regulations concerning the development of land and homebuilding, sales and customer financing processes and the protection of the environment, which can cause us to incur delays and costs associated with compliance and which can prohibit or restrict our activity in some regions or areas.

We are subject to extensive and complex laws and regulations that affect the development of land and homebuilding, sales and customer financing processes, including laws and regulations relating to zoning, density, accessibility, anti-discrimination, building standards and mortgage financing. These laws and regulations often provide broad discretion to the administering governmental authorities. This can delay or increase the cost of development or homebuilding. In addition, some state and local governments in markets where we operate have approved, and others may approve, slow-growth or no-growth initiatives that could negatively impact the availability of land and building opportunities within those areas. Approval of these initiatives could adversely affect our ability to build and sell homes in the affected markets and/or could require the satisfaction of additional administrative and regulatory requirements, which could result in slowing the progress or increasing the costs of our homebuilding operations in these markets. Any of the above delays or costs could have a negative effect on our future revenues and earnings.

 We also are subject to a variety of local, state, federal and foreign laws and regulations concerning protection of health and the environment, including those regulating the emission or discharge of materials into the environment, the management of storm water runoff at construction sites, the handling, use, storage and disposal of hazardous substances, impacts to wetlands and other sensitive environments, and the remediation of contamination at properties that we have owned or developed or currently own or are developing (“environmental laws”). The particular environmental laws that apply to a site may vary greatly according to the community site, for example, due to the community, the environmental conditions at or near the site, and the present and former uses of the site. These environmental laws may result in delays, may cause us to incur substantial compliance, remediation and/or other costs, and can prohibit or severely restrict development and homebuilding activity. In addition, noncompliance with these laws and regulations could result in fines and penalties, obligations to remediate or take corrective action, permit revocations or other sanctions; and contamination or other environmental conditions at or in the vicinity of our developments may result in claims against us for personal injury, property damage or other losses.

We anticipate that increasingly stringent requirements will continue to be imposed on developers and homebuilders in the future. In addition, some of these laws and regulations that significantly affect how certain properties may be developed are contentious, attract intense political attention, and may be subject to significant changes over time. For example, regulations governing wetlands permitting under the federal Clean Water Act have been the subject of extensive rulemakings for many years, resulting in several major joint rulemakings by the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that have expanded and contracted the scope of wetlands subject to regulation; and such rulemakings have been the subject of many legal challenges, some of which remain pending. It is unclear how these and related developments, including at the state or local level, ultimately may affect the scope of regulated wetlands where we operate. Although we cannot reliably predict the extent of any effect these developments regarding wetlands, or any other requirements that may take effect, may have on us, they could result in time-consuming and expensive compliance programs and in substantial expenditures, which could cause delays and increase our cost of operations. In addition, our ability to obtain or renew permits or approvals and the continued effectiveness of permits already granted or approvals already obtained is dependent upon many factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as changes in policies, rules and regulations and their interpretations and application.

Legal claims not resolved in our favor, such as product liability litigation and warranty claims may be costly.

As discussed in Item 3 – “Legal Proceedings,” in the ordinary course of business we are involved in litigation from time-to-time, including with homeowner associations, home buyers and other persons with whom we have relationships. For example, as a homebuilder, we are subject to construction defect and home warranty claims, including moisture intrusion and related claims, arising in the ordinary course of business. Such claims are common in the homebuilding industry and can be costly.

With regard to certain general liability exposures such as product liability claims, construction defect claims and related claims, assessment of claims and the related liability and reserve estimation process is highly judgmental and subject to a high degree of variability due to uncertainties such as trends in construction defect claims relative to our markets and the types of products we build, claim settlement patterns, insurance industry practices and legal interpretations, among others. Because of the high degree of judgment required in determining these estimated liability amounts, actual future costs could differ significantly from our currently estimated amounts. Furthermore, after claims are asserted for construction defects, it can be difficult to determine the extent to which assertions of such claims will expand geographically. For example, the Company has been a party to litigation in New Jersey concerning alleged defects in construction (see Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K). In addition, the amount and scope of coverage offered by insurance companies is currently limited, and this coverage may be further restricted and become more costly. If we are not able to obtain adequate insurance against such claims, if the costs associated with such claims significantly exceed the amount of our insurance coverage, or if our insurers do not pay on claims under our policies (whether because of dispute, inability, or otherwise), we may experience losses that could hurt our financial results.

Our financial results could also be adversely affected if we were to experience an unusually high number of claims or unusually severe claims. Our insurance companies have the right to review our claims and claims history, and do so from time to time, and could decline to pay on such claims if such reviews determine the claims did not meet the terms for coverage. Additionally, we may need to significantly increase our construction defect and home warranty reserves as a result of insurance not being available for any of the reasons discussed above, such claims or the results of our annual actuarial study.

Tax increases and changes in tax rules may adversely affect our financial results.

As a company conducting business with physical operations throughout North America, we are exposed, both directly and indirectly, to the effects of changes in U.S., state and local tax rules. Taxes for financial reporting purposes and cash tax liabilities in the future may be adversely affected by changes in such tax rules. Such changes may put us at a competitive disadvantage compared to some of our major competitors, to the extent we are unable to pass the tax costs through to our customers.

Risks Related to Our Organization and Structure

We conduct certain of our operations through unconsolidated joint ventures with independent third parties in which we do not have a controlling interest. These investments involve risks and are highly illiquid.

We currently operate through a number of unconsolidated homebuilding and land development joint ventures with independent third parties in which we do not have a controlling interest. At October 31, 2023, we had invested an aggregate of $97.9 million in these unconsolidated joint ventures, including outstanding net advances to these unconsolidated joint ventures of $1.4 million. In addition, as part of our strategy, we intend to continue to evaluate additional joint venture opportunities; however, we may be limited in pursuing all such desirable opportunities because the indentures governing our outstanding debt securities and our credit facilities impose certain restrictions, among others, on investments by us and certain of our subsidiaries (including in joint ventures).

These investments involve risks and are highly illiquid. There are a limited number of sources willing to provide acquisition, development and construction financing to land development and homebuilding joint ventures, and if market conditions become more challenging, it may be difficult or impossible to obtain financing for our joint ventures on commercially reasonable terms. In addition, we lack a controlling interest in these joint ventures and, therefore, are usually unable to require that our joint ventures sell assets or return invested capital, make additional capital contributions, or take any other action without the vote of at least one of our venture partners. Therefore, absent partner agreement, we will be unable to liquidate our joint venture investments to generate cash.

The Hovnanian family is able to exercise significant influence over us.

The combined ownership of members of the Hovnanian family, including Ara K. Hovnanian, our Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer, through personal holdings, the limited partnership and the limited liability company established for members of Mr. Hovnanian’s family and family trusts of Class A and Class B common stock, enables them to exert significant control over us, including power to control the election of the Board of Directors and to approve matters presented to our stockholders. Such holdings represented approximately 59% of the votes that could be cast by the holders of our outstanding Class A and Class B common stock combined as of October 31, 2023. This concentration of ownership may also make some transactions, including mergers or other changes in control, more difficult or impossible without their support. Also, because of their combined voting power, circumstances may occur in which their interests could be in conflict with the interests of other stakeholders.

Our net operating loss carryforwards could be substantially limited if we experience an ownership change as defined in the Internal Revenue Code.

Based on past impairments and our financial performance in prior years, we generated a federal net operating loss carryforward of $688.3 million through the year ended October 31, 2023, and we may generate net operating loss carryforwards in future years.

Section 382 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), contains rules that limit the ability of a company that undergoes an ownership change, which is generally any change in ownership of more than 50% of its stock over a three-year period, to utilize its net operating loss carryforwards and certain built-in losses recognized in years after the ownership change. These rules generally operate by focusing on ownership shifts among stockholders owning directly or indirectly 5% or more of the stock of a company and any change in ownership arising from a new issuance of stock by the company.

If we undergo an ownership change for purposes of Section 382 as a result of future transactions involving our stock, including purchases or sales of stock between 5% shareholders, our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and to recognize certain built-in losses would be subject to the limitations of Section 382. Depending on the resulting limitation, a significant portion of our net operating loss carryforwards could expire before we would be able to use them. A limitation imposed under Section 382 on our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards could have a negative impact on our financial position and results of operations.

The value of our deferred tax assets is also dependent upon the tax rates expected to be in effect at the time the taxable income is expected to be generated. A decrease in enacted corporate tax rates in our major jurisdictions, especially the U.S. federal corporate rate, would decrease the value of our deferred tax assets, which could be material.

 Our Board of Directors has adopted, and our shareholders have approved, a shareholder rights plan (the “Rights Plan”) designed to preserve shareholder value and the value of certain tax assets primarily associated with net operating loss carryforwards and built-in losses under Section 382 of the Code. The Rights Plan is intended to act as a deterrent to any person or group acquiring 4.9% or more of our outstanding Class A common stock (any such person an “Acquiring Person”), without the approval of the Company’s Board of Directors. Subject to the terms, provisions and conditions of the Rights Plan, if and when they become exercisable, each right would entitle its holder to purchase from the Company one ten-thousandth of a share of the Company’s Series B Junior Preferred Stock for a specified purchase price (the “purchase price”). The rights will not be exercisable until the earlier of (i) 10 business days after a public announcement by us that a person or group has become an Acquiring Person and (ii) 10 business days after the commencement of a tender or exchange offer by a person or group for 4.9% of the Class A common stock (the “distribution date”). If issued, each fractional share of Series B Junior Preferred Stock would give the stockholder approximately the same dividend, voting and liquidation rights as does one share of the Company’s Class A common stock. However, prior to exercise, a right does not give its holder any rights as a stockholder of the Company, including without limitation any dividend, voting or liquidation rights. After the distribution date, each holder of a right, other than rights beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person (which will thereupon become void), will thereafter have the right to receive upon exercise of a right and payment of the purchase price, that number of shares of Class A common stock or Class B common stock, as the case may be, having a market value of two times the purchase price. After the distribution date, our Board of Directors may exchange the rights (other than rights owned by an Acquiring Person which will have become void), in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one share of common stock, or a fractional share of Series B Junior Preferred Stock (or of a share of a similar class or series of Hovnanian’s preferred stock having similar rights, preferences and privileges) of equivalent value, per right (subject to adjustment).

In addition, our Restated Certificate of Incorporation restricts certain transfers of our common stock in order to preserve the tax treatment of our net operating loss carryforwards and built-in losses under Section 382 of the Code. Subject to certain exceptions pertaining to pre-existing 5% stockholders and Class B stockholders, the transfer restrictions in our Restated Certificate of Incorporation generally restrict any direct or indirect transfer (such as transfers of the Company’s stock that result from the transfer of interests in other entities that own the Company’s stock) if the effect would be to: (i) increase the direct or indirect ownership of the Company’s stock by any person (or public group) from less than 5% to 5% or more of the Company’s stock; (ii) increase the percentage of the Company’s stock owned directly or indirectly by a person (or public group) owning or deemed to own 5% or more of the Company’s stock; or (iii) create a new “public group” (as defined in the applicable U.S. Treasury regulations).

We could be adversely impacted by the loss of key management personnel or if we fail to attract qualified personnel.

To a significant degree, our future success depends on the efforts of our senior management, many of whom have been with the Company for a significant number of years, and our ability to attract qualified personnel. Our operations could be adversely affected if key members of our senior management leave the Company or if we cannot attract qualified personnel to manage growth in our business.

ITEM 1B

UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2

PROPERTIES

We rent approximately 62,000 square feet of office space for our corporate headquarters and own 215,000 square feet of office and warehouse space in the Northeast. We lease approximately 314,000 square feet of space for our segments located in the Northeast, Southeast and West.

ITEM 3

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The information required with respect to this item can be found under "Commitments and Contingent Liabilities" in Note 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual report on Form 10-K, which is incorporated by reference into this Item 3. 

ITEM 4

MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Information on executive officers of the registrant is incorporated herein from Part III, Item 10.

Part II

ITEM 5

MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our Class A common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HOV” and was held by 287 stockholders of record at December 12, 2023. There is no established public trading market for our Class B common stock, which was held by 164 stockholders of record at December 12, 2023. If a stockholder desires to sell shares of Class B common stock (other than to Permitted Transferees (as defined in the Company’s amended Certificate of Incorporation)), such stock must be converted into shares of Class A common stock at a one-to-one conversion rate. 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Equity Securities

None.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

None.

Performance Graph

This performance graph shall not be deemed “soliciting material” or “filed” with the SEC for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities under that Section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any of our filings under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

The following graph compares the five-year cumulative total return of our Class A common stock with the Standard & Poor's ("S&P") 500 Index and the S&P Homebuilding Index. The graph assumes $100 invested on October 31, 2018 in our Class A common stock, the S&P 500 Index and the S&P Homebuilding Index, and the reinvestment of all dividends.

The stock price performance shown on the following graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock performance.

Source: Standard & Poor's Financial Services, LLC, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

ITEM 6

RESERVED

ITEM 7

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (“HEI”) conducts all of its homebuilding and financial services operations through its subsidiaries (references herein to the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to HEI and its consolidated subsidiaries and should be understood to reflect the consolidated business of HEI’s subsidiaries).

The following tables and related discussion set forth key operating and financial data for our homebuilding and financial services operations as of and for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2023 and 2022. For similar operating and financial data and discussion of our fiscal 2022 results compared to our fiscal 2021 results, refer to Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on December 19, 2022.

Key Performance Indicators

The following key performance indicators are commonly used in the homebuilding industry and by management as a means to better understand our operating performance and trends affecting our business and compare our performance with the performance of other homebuilders. We believe these key performance indicators also provide useful information to investors in analyzing our performance:

Overview

Market Conditions and Operating Results

The demand for new and existing homes is dependent on a variety of demographic and economic factors, including job and wage growth, household formation, consumer confidence, mortgage financing, interest rates, inflation and overall housing affordability.

From early January 2022, 30-year mortgage rates more than doubled from 3.2% to 7.8% at the end of October 2023. The rapid and sharp increases in interest rates, persistently high levels of inflation and doubt about the stability of the economy, negatively impacted housing demand beginning in the second half of fiscal 2022 and continued into early fiscal 2023.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2023, we were aggressive in our pricing, incentives and concessions in order to increase affordability, which had a positive effect on our sales pace, but due to the general uncertainty about the stability of the economy potential buyers still remained cautious about their decision to purchase a home. Beginning in the second quarter and through the third quarter of fiscal 2023, as interest rates stabilized around 6.5%, we saw an increase in customer demand and the housing market started to normalize. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, interest rates increased by approximately 100 basis points from the end of July to the end of October, which slowed down our sequential sales pace. We were able to use our increased inventory of QMI homes during the year to help meet buyers’ needs in the current uncertain interest rate environment. The time between contract signing and closing is shorter with a QMI home as compared to a to be built home, which provides customers with more certainty on their mortgage pricing. The availability of QMI homes also allows us to offer mortgage interest rate buydown assistance, which is a tool we offer through our wholly-owned mortgage banking subsidiary ("K. Hovnanian Mortgage"), to help ease the impact of higher monthly payments from rising interest rates. We pay the cost of interest rate buydowns for customers that qualify through K. Hovnanian Mortgage and decide to use the program. The level of interest rate based incentives utilized differs across our markets and is one of several available options we use to drive sales and close homes.

The number of existing home sales listings are at all-time low levels, which limits the supply of homes available for purchase, leading to increased demand for new homes, which leads to improved pricing power. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, there continued to be strong demand for our homes as compared to the prior year, which lead to a significant increase in net contracts and net contracts per average active selling community, as compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 and the year ended October 31, 2022. We were able to increase net prices in approximately 54% of our communities during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023.

There still remains a great degree of uncertainty due to inflation, the continued possibility of an economic recession, employment risk and the potential for further mortgage rate increases. While we continue to experience some lingering supply chain issues, we remain focused on continuing to shorten our construction cycle times and building on our national initiatives to drive down costs with our material providers and trade partners. The changing conditions in the housing market, and in the general economy, make it difficult to predict how strongly our business will be impacted by these external factors over fiscal 2024 and beyond.

Our cash position allowed us to spend $679.3 million on land purchases and land development, repurchase $245.0 million principal amount of senior secured notes prior to maturity during fiscal 2023, and still have total liquidity of $564.2 million, including $434.1 million of homebuilding cash and cash equivalents and $125.0 million of borrowing capacity under our senior secured revolving credit facility as of October 31, 2023. Also, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, we refinanced $494.6 million of secured debt which extended our debt maturities to the fourth quarters of fiscal 2028 and 2029, and subsequently in November 2023 we redeemed an additional $113.5 million of secured debt with proceeds from the refinancing debt issued in the fourth quarter.

Additional information on our results for the year ended October 31, 2023 were as follows:

● For the year ended October 31, 2023, sale of homes revenues decreased 7.4% as compared to the prior year, primarily due to a 11.9% decrease in homes delivered, partially offset by a 5.1% increase in average sales price. The decrease in deliveries in fiscal 2023 was primarily the result of a 6.6% reduction in community count as well as the slowdown in net contracts during the second half of fiscal 2022 due to rising interest rates.

● Homebuilding gross margin percentage decreased from 21.5% for the year ended October 31, 2022 to 19.6% for the year ended October 31, 2023, and homebuilding gross margin percentage, before cost of sales interest expense and land charges, decreased from 25.0% for the year ended October 31, 2022 to 22.7% for the year ended October 31, 2023. The decreases were primarily due to the increased use of incentives and concessions to make our homes more affordable in a rising interest rate environment.

● Selling, general and administrative expenses (including corporate general and administrative) increased $8.6 million for the year ended October 31, 2023 as compared to the prior year. The increase was primarily due to an increase in selling overhead from higher advertising costs and fees incurred on unused builder forward commitments we began offering in the second half of fiscal 2022 to lower mortgage rates for our customers. As a percentage of total revenue, such costs increased to 11.1% for the year ended October 31, 2023 compared to 10.1% for the year ended October 31, 2022.

● Income before income taxes decreased to $256.0 million for the year ended October 31, 2023 from $319.8 million for the year ended October 31, 2022. Net income decreased to $205.9 million for the year ended October 31, 2023 from $225.5 million for the year ended October 31, 2022. Net income for the year ended October 31, 2023, included a $19.1 million gain on the consolidation of a previously unconsolidated joint venture, $9.4 million of income from our unconsolidated joint venture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a $9.0 million tax benefit from energy efficient home credits and a $14.8 million tax benefit from the release of state valuation allowances, partially offset by a $25.6 million loss on extinguishment of debt.

● Earnings per share, basic and diluted, decreased to $28.76 and $26.88, respectively, for the year ended October 31, 2023, compared to earnings per share, basic and diluted of $30.31 and $29.00, respectively, for the year ended October 31, 2022.

● Net contracts increased 3.8% to 4,647 for the year ended October 31, 2023, compared to 4,477 the prior year, primarily due to an increase in customer demand, partially due to the availability of QMI homes. During the year ended October 31, 2023, we also executed 438 build-for-rent contracts in three communities in our Southeast segment.

● Net contracts per average active selling community increased to 40.8 for the year ended October 31, 2023 compared to 39.6 in the prior year. The increase was due to the increase in net contracts discussed above.  

● Active selling communities decreased to 113 at October 31, 2023 compared to 121 at October 31, 2022, however, our total lots controlled increased to 31,726 at October 31, 2023 compared to 31,518 at October 31, 2022. We expect our community count to grow in fiscal 2024.

● Contract backlog decreased from 2,186 homes at October 31, 2022 to 1,824 homes at October 31, 2023, and the dollar value of contract backlog decreased to $1.1 billion, a 16.4% decrease in dollar value compared to the prior year. The decreases were primarily attributed to lower sales in the second half of fiscal 2022 and into the first quarter of fiscal 2023, as discussed above.

Results of Operations

Total Revenues

Compared to the prior year, revenues (decreased) increased as follows:

Homebuilding: Sale of Homes

Sale of homes revenues decreased $210.0 million, or 7.4%, for the year ended October 31, 2023, compared to the prior year. The decreased revenues in fiscal 2023 were primarily due to a 11.9% decrease in homes delivered, partially offset by the average sales price per home increasing to $539,249 in fiscal 2023 from $512,902 in fiscal 2022. The decrease in deliveries in fiscal 2023 was primarily the result of a 6.6% reduction in community count. The increase in average sales price in fiscal 2023 was primarily due to price increases in a majority of our markets since the beginning of fiscal 2022, along with the geographic and community mix of our deliveries. For further detail on changes in segment revenues see “Homebuilding Operations by Segment” below. Land sales are ancillary to our homebuilding operations and are expected to continue in the future but may significantly fluctuate up or down. For further detail on land sales and other revenues, see the section titled “Homebuilding: Land Sales and Other Revenues” below.

Information on the sale of homes is set forth in the table below:

(1) Represents housing revenues and home deliveries for our unconsolidated homebuilding joint ventures for the period. We provide this data as a supplement to our consolidated results as an indicator of the volume managed in our unconsolidated joint ventures. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, we delivered 2,176 homes in our unconsolidated joint venture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a further discussion of our joint ventures.

Homebuilding: Land Sales and Other Revenues

Land sales and other revenues increased $45.2 million for the year ended October 31, 2023, compared to the prior year. Other revenues include interest income, which increased as a result of higher rates on cash and cash equivalent accounts beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared to the same period in the prior year. In addition, other revenues include income from contract cancellations where customer deposits have been forfeited due to contract terminations, which increased due to higher cancellation rates during fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022.  Revenue associated with land sales can vary significantly due to the mix of land parcels sold. There were four land sales during the year ended October 31, 2023, compared to five in the prior year. Contributing to the increase in land sales was a transaction during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 which resulted in $30.3 million of revenue for the Northeast.

Homebuilding: Cost of Sales

Cost of sales includes expenses for consolidated housing and land and lot sales, including inventory impairment and land option write-offs (defined as “land charges” in the tables below). A breakout of such expenses for homebuilding and land and lot sales and the gross margins for each is set forth below.

Homebuilding gross margin before cost of sales interest expense and land charges is a non-GAAP financial measure. This measure should not be considered as an alternative to homebuilding gross margin determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP as an indicator of operating performance.

Management believes this non-GAAP measure enables investors to better understand our operating performance. This measure is also useful internally, helping management evaluate our operating results on a consolidated basis and relative to other companies in our industry. In particular, the magnitude and volatility of land charges for the Company, and for other homebuilders, have been significant and, as such, have made comparable financial analysis of our industry more difficult. Homebuilding metrics excluding land charges, as well as interest amortized to cost of sales, and other similar presentations prepared by analysts and other companies are frequently used to assist investors in understanding and comparing the operating characteristics of homebuilding activities by eliminating many of the differences in companies’ respective level of impairments and debt.