Beazer Homes USA (BZH)

 

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

 

Commission file number: 001-12822

 

BEAZER HOMES USA, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

1000 Abernathy Road, Suite 1200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

(770) 829-3700
(Registrant’s telephone number including area code)

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer (as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act)  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.  Yes o     No þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes þ     No o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes o     No o

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  Yes o     No þ

 

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (62,188,862 shares) as of March 31, 2010, based on the closing sale price per share as reported by the New York Stock Exchange on such date, was $282,337,433.

 

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s Common Stock as of November 3, 2010 was 75,669,381.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

 

 

BEAZER HOMES USA, INC.

 

FORM 10-K

 

INDEX

 

References to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Beazer,” “Beazer Homes,” and the “Company” in this annual report on Form 10-K refer to Beazer Homes USA, Inc.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements represent our expectations or beliefs concerning future events, and it is possible that the results described in this annual report will not be achieved. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of statements that include words such as “estimate,” “project,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “foresee,” “likely,” “will,” “goal,” “target” or other similar words or phrases. All forward-looking statements are based upon information available to us on the date of this annual report.

 

These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements, including, among other things, the matters discussed in this annual report in the section captioned “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Additional information about factors that could lead to material changes in performance is contained in Part I, Item 1A− Risk Factors. Such factors may include:

 

 

 

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors.

PART I

 

 

We are a geographically diversified homebuilder with active operations in 15 states. Our homes are designed to appeal to homeowners at various price points across various demographic segments and are generally offered for sale in advance of their construction. Our objective is to provide our customers with homes that incorporate exceptional value and quality while seeking to maximize our return on invested capital over time.

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 1000 Abernathy Road, Suite 1200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, telephone (770) 829-3700. We also provide information about our active communities through our Internet website located at http://www.beazer.com. Information on our website is not a part of and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in this report.

 

Industry Overview and Current Market Conditions

 

The sale of new homes has been and will likely remain a large industry in the United States for four primary reasons: historical growth in both population and households, demographic patterns that indicate an increased likelihood of home ownership as age and income increase, job creation within geographic markets that necessitate new home construction and consumer demand for home features that can be more easily provided in a new home than an existing home.

 

In any year, the demand for new homes is closely tied to job growth, the availability and cost of mortgage financing, the supply of new and existing homes for sale and, importantly, consumer confidence. Consumer confidence is perhaps the most important of these demand variables and is the hardest one to predict accurately because it is a function of, among other things, consumers’ views of their employment and income prospects, recent and likely future home price trends, localized new and existing home inventory, the level of current and near-term interest and mortgage rates, the availability of consumer credit, valuations in stock and bond markets, and other geopolitical factors. Moreover, because the purchase of a home represents many buyers’ largest single financial commitment, it is often also associated with significant emotional considerations.

 

The supply of new homes within specific geographic markets consists of both new homes built pursuant to pre-sale arrangements and speculative homes (frequently referred to as “spec homes”) built by home builders prior to their sale. The ratio of pre-sold to spec homes differs both by geographic market and over time within individual markets based on a wide variety of factors, including the availability of land and lots, access to construction financing, the availability and cost of construction labor and materials, the inventory of existing homes for sale and job growth characteristics. Consumer preferences also play a role. In rapidly growing markets characterized by relatively few available new homes, presale homes are very common. In markets characterized by a significant supply of newly built and existing homes, spec homes tend to represent a larger portion of new home sales as builders attempt to reduce their inventories of completed homes.

 

In general, high levels of employment, low mortgage interest rates and low new home and resale inventories contribute to a strong and growing homebuilding market environment. Conversely, rising or continued high levels of unemployment, higher interest rates and larger new and existing home inventories generally lead to weak industry conditions.

 

While we believe that long-term fundamentals for new home construction remain intact, the homebuilding environment has suffered extensively during the recession of the past several years. Beginning in mid-fiscal 2006 and continuing into fiscal 2010, the homebuilding environment deteriorated against a backdrop of macroeconomic recession, declining consumer confidence and significant tightening in the availability of home mortgage credit. Throughout this period, most housing markets across the United States suffered from an oversupply of new and resale home inventory, reduced levels of consumer demand for new homes, high cancellation rates, aggressive home sale price and buyer incentive competition among homebuilders, and a growing supply of foreclosed homes typically offered at substantially reduced prices. In addition, due initially to market disruptions resulting from the deterioration in the credit quality of loans originated to non-prime and subprime borrowers and also due to steadily increasing unemployment, the credit markets and the mortgage industry experienced a period of disruption

characterized by bankruptcy, financial institution failure, consolidation and an unprecedented level of intervention by the United States federal government. This mortgage crisis led to reduced availability for mortgage products and reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities. These developments severely impacted consumer confidence and demand for our homes. Although we have recently begun to see signs that certain of these negative market trends may be moderating at both local and national levels, key macroeconomic indicators remain soft or mixed. The supply of new and resale homes in the marketplace has decreased recently, but it is still excessive for the current level of consumer demand and is challenged by an increased number of foreclosed homes offered at substantially reduced prices. These pressures in the marketplace have resulted in the use of increased sales incentives and price reductions in an effort to generate sales and reduce inventory levels by us and many of our competitors.

 

In an effort to provide relief to homebuyers and stabilize the housing industry, the federal government enacted several laws: (1) The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) in July 2008, (2) The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) in October 2008 and (3) The First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit (FTHBTC) in February 2009.

 

Among other things, HERA provided for a temporary first-time home buyer tax credit for purchases made through July 1, 2009; reforms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, including adjustments to the conforming loan limits; modernization and expansion of the FHA, including an increase to 3.5% in the minimum down payment required for FHA loans; and the elimination of seller-funded down payment assistance programs for FHA loans approved after September 30, 2008. Certain provisions of HERA, such as the elimination of the down payment assistance programs and the increase in minimum down payments, have adversely impacted the ability of potential homebuyers to afford to purchase a new home or obtain financing. The down payment assistance programs were utilized for a number of our home closings prior to fiscal 2009.

 

EESA authorized up to $700 billion in new spending authority for the United States Secretary of the Treasury (the Secretary) to purchase, manage and ultimately dispose of troubled assets. The provisions of this law include an expansion of the Hope for Homeowners Program. This program allows the Secretary to use loan guarantees and credit enhancements so that mortgage loans can be modified to prevent foreclosures. Also, the Secretary can consent to term extensions, rate-reductions and principal write-downs. Federal agencies that own mortgage loans are directed to seek modifications prior to foreclosures.

 

FTHBTC enables homebuyers who have not owned a home in the past three years, subject to certain income limits, to receive a tax credit of 10% of the purchase price of a home up to a maximum of $8,000. In November 2009, this tax credit was extended by Congress to June 2010 and the new law increased the annual income limits for qualification. In addition, the new law also added a $6,500 tax credit for qualified existing homeowners who elect to purchase a new home. Certain states also enacted laws which enabled certain homebuyers to receive additional state tax credits. Availability of these tax credits appears to have incentivized certain homebuyers to purchase homes during the second half of fiscal 2009 and through June 30, 2010 although it is not possible to quantify the precise impact.

 

In spite of these government actions, we, like many other homebuilders, have experienced a material reduction in revenues and margins and have incurred significant net losses in fiscal 2008 through 2010. These net losses were driven primarily by asset impairment and lot option abandonment charges incurred in fiscal 2008, 2009 and 2010. Please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition” for additional information.

 

We have responded to this challenging environment with a disciplined approach to the business with continued reductions in direct construction costs, overhead expenses and land spending. We have entered into an exclusive preferred lender relationship with a national mortgage provider. This exclusive relationship offers our homebuyers the option of a simplified financing process while enabling us to focus on our core competency of homebuilding. We limited our supply of unsold homes under construction and focused on the generation of cash from our existing inventory supply and preservation of cash on hand as we attempted to align our land supply and inventory levels to current expectations for home closings.

During fiscal 2010, we continued to focus on cash generation from the sale of existing inventory supply as we introduced additional sales incentives and reduced sales prices in certain situations in order to move this inventory. We also reevaluated pricing and incentives offered in select communities in response to local market conditions to generate sales on to-be-built inventory. Certain of these changes resulted in adjustments to our inventory valuations.

 

We continually review each of our markets in order to refine our overall investment strategy and to optimize capital and resource allocations in an effort to enhance our financial position and to increase shareholder value. This review entails an evaluation of both external market factors and our position in each market and over time has resulted in the decision to expand our market presence in certain of our markets and to discontinue homebuilding operations in other markets. As of September 30, 2010, we have substantially concluded our homebuilding operations in Jacksonville, Florida and Albuquerque, New Mexico, but we remain committed to our remaining customer care responsibilities (primarily warranty-related) and will continue to market a limited number of our remaining land positions for sale. While the underlying basis for exiting each market was different, in each instance we concluded we could better serve shareholder interests by re-allocating the capital employed in these markets. The results of operations of all of the homebuilding markets we have exited over the past few years are reported as discontinued operations in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.

 

Long-Term Business Strategy

 

We have developed a long-term business strategy which focuses on the following elements in order to provide a wide range of homebuyers with quality homes while maximizing returns on our invested capital over the course of a housing cycle:

 

Geographic Diversification in Growth Markets.  We compete in a large number of geographically diverse markets in an attempt to reduce our exposure to any particular regional economy. Within these markets, we build homes in a variety of new home communities. We continually review our selection of markets based on both aggregate demographic information and our own operating results. We use the results of these reviews to re-allocate our investments to those markets where we believe we can maximize our profitability and return on capital over the next several years.

 

Differentiated Product.  Our product strategy is to design and build high performance homes that are more enjoyable, more desirable and more affordable. Our eSMART homes are engineered for energy-efficiency, cost savings and comfort. Our eSMART initiative represents a comprehensive program focused on environmental stewardship which seeks to make energy saving, water conservation and improved air quality components standard in all of our homes. These energy efficient homes minimize the impact on the environment while reducing our homebuyers’ annual operating costs. During fiscal 2010, we introduced two additional eSMART options to accelerate the performance of our homes and further increase operating savings to our homebuyers - eSMART Plus and eSMART Green (a certified and tested green home). Through our SMARTDESIGN^tm concept, we have adapted our floor plans to make them more livable by arranging spaces to progress logically from public to private areas. We also offer upgrade packages that give our homebuyers the option to personalize their home with built-in closet systems, laundry centers, multi-purpose kitchen islands and more.

 

Diversity of Product Offerings.  Our product strategy further entails addressing the needs of an increasingly diverse profile of home buyers. Within each of our markets we determine the profile of buyers we hope to address and design neighborhoods and homes with the specific needs of those buyers in mind. Depending on the market, we attempt to address one or more of the following types of home buyers: entry-level, move-up or retirement-oriented. Within these buyer groups, we have developed detailed targeted buyer profiles based on demographic and psychographic data including information about their marital and family status, employment, age, affluence, special interests, media consumption and distance moved. Recognizing that our customers want to choose certain components of their new home, we offer limited customization through the use of design studios in most of our markets. These design studios allow the customer to select certain non-structural options for their homes such as cabinetry, flooring, fixtures, appliances and wall coverings.

Consistent Use of National Brand.  Our homebuilding and marketing activities are conducted under the name of Beazer Homes in each of our markets. We utilize a single brand name across our markets in order to better leverage our national and local marketing activities. Using a single brand has allowed us to execute successful national marketing campaigns and online marketing practices.

 

Operational Scale Efficiencies.  Beyond marketing advantages, we attempt to create both national and local scale efficiencies as a result of the scope of our operations. On a national basis we are able to achieve volume purchasing advantages in certain product categories, share best practices in construction, marketing, planning and design among our markets, respond to telephonic and electronic customer inquiries and leverage our fixed costs in ways that improve profitability. On a local level, while we are not generally the largest builder within our markets, we do attempt to be a major participant within our selected submarkets and targeted buyer profiles. There are further design, construction and cost advantages associated with having strong market positions within particular markets.

 

Balanced Land Policies.  We seek to maximize our return on capital by carefully managing our investment in land. To reduce the risks associated with investments in land, we often use options to control land. We generally do not speculate in land which does not have the benefit of entitlements providing basic development rights to the owner.

 

Reportable Business Segments

 

We design, sell and build single-family and multi-family homes in the following geographic regions which are presented as reportable segments. As of September 30, 2010, we have substantially exited our homebuilding operations in Jacksonville, Florida and Albuquerque, New Mexico. These markets are now reported as discontinued operations in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. As of September 30, 2010, we have sold or discontinued all of our title services operations which were historically included in our Financial Services reportable segment. The historical results of our title services operations are now reported as discontinued operations in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.

 

 

Seasonal and Quarterly Variability

 

Our homebuilding operating cycle generally reflects higher levels of new home order activity in the second and third fiscal quarters and increased closings in the third and fourth fiscal quarters. However, during periods of an economic downturn in the industry such as we have experienced in recent years, decreased revenues and closings as compared to prior periods including prior quarters, will typically reduce seasonal patterns. Specifically, the expiration of the $8,000 First-time Homebuyer Tax Credit on June 30, 2010 incentivized homebuyers to purchase homes during the first half of fiscal 2010. This resulted in a change to our typical seasonal variations, as we experienced increased closings in our third quarter as compared to our fourth quarter of fiscal 2010.

 

Markets and Product Description

 

We evaluate a number of factors in determining which geographic markets to enter as well as which consumer segments to target with our homebuilding activities. We attempt to anticipate changes in economic and real estate conditions by evaluating such statistical information as the historical and projected growth of the population; the number of new jobs created or projected to be created; the number of housing starts in previous periods; building lot availability and price; housing inventory; level of competition; and home sale absorption rates.

 

We generally seek to differentiate ourselves from our competition in a particular market with respect to customer service, product type, and design and construction quality. We maintain the flexibility to alter our product mix within a given market, depending on market conditions. In determining our product mix, we consider demographic trends, demand for a particular type of product, consumer preferences, margins, timing and the economic strength of the market. Although some of our homes are priced at the upper end of the market, and we offer a selection of amenities and home customization options, we generally do not build “custom homes.” We attempt to maximize efficiency by using standardized design plans whenever possible. In all of our home offerings,

we attempt to maximize customer satisfaction by incorporating quality and energy-efficient materials, distinctive design features, convenient locations and competitive prices. Specifically, our eSMART homes represent a comprehensive program focused on environmental stewardship which seeks to make energy saving, water conservation and improved air quality components standard in all of our homes. These energy efficient homes minimize the impact on the environment while reducing our homebuyers’ annual operating costs.

 

During fiscal year 2010, the average sales price of our homes closed related to continuing operations was approximately $221,700. The following table summarizes certain operating information of our reportable homebuilding segments and our discontinued homebuilding operations as of and for the years ended September 30, 2010, 2009 and 2008. Please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition” for additional information.

 

 

 

Corporate Operations

 

We perform all or most of the following functions at our corporate office:

 

 

We allocate capital resources necessary for new investments in a manner consistent with our overall business strategy. We will vary the capital allocation based on market conditions, results of operations and other factors. Capital commitments are determined through consultation among selected executive and operational personnel, who play an important role in ensuring that new investments are consistent with our strategy. Centralized financial controls are also maintained through the standardization of accounting and financial policies and procedures.

Field Operations

 

The development and construction of each new home community is managed by our operating divisions, each of which is generally led by a market leader who, in turn, reports directly to our Chief Executive Officer. At the development stage, a manager (who may be assigned to several communities and reports to the market leader of the division) supervises development of buildable lots. Together with our operating divisions, our field teams are equipped with the skills to complete the functions of identification of land acquisition opportunities, land entitlement, land development, home construction, marketing, sales and warranty service. The accounting, accounts payable, billing and purchasing functions of our field operations are concentrated in three regional accounting centers.

 

Land Acquisition and Development

 

Generally, the land we acquire is purchased only after necessary entitlements have been obtained so that we have the right to begin development or construction as market conditions dictate. During much of the downturn in the homebuilding industry, we made very few significant land acquisitions; however, we have continued to consider attractive opportunities as they arise. We expect to continue to consider land acquisition opportunities as the market improves and particularly in markets where our land bank has been depleted. In a very small number of situations, we will purchase property without all necessary entitlements where we perceive an opportunity to build on such property in a manner consistent with our strategy. The term “entitlements” refers to subdivision approvals, development agreements, tentative maps or recorded plats, depending on the jurisdiction within which the land is located. Entitlements generally give a developer the right to obtain building permits upon compliance with conditions that are usually within the developer’s control. Although entitlements are ordinarily obtained prior to the purchase of land, we are still required to obtain a variety of other governmental approvals and permits during the development process.

 

We select our land for development based upon a variety of factors, including:

 

 

We generally purchase land or obtain an option to purchase land, which, in either case, requires certain site improvements prior to construction. Where required, we then undertake or, in the case of land under option, the grantor of the option then undertakes, the development activities (through contractual arrangements with local developers), which include site planning and engineering, as well as constructing road, sewer, water, utilities, drainage and recreational facilities and other amenities. When available in certain markets, we also buy finished lots that are ready for construction.

 

We strive to develop a design and marketing concept for each of our communities, which include determination of size, style and price range of the homes, layout of streets, layout of individual lots and overall community design. The product line offered in a particular new home community depends upon many factors, including the housing generally available in the area, the needs of a particular market and our cost of lots in the new home community. We are, however, often able to use standardized home design plans.

Option Contracts.  We acquire certain lots by means of option contracts. Option contracts generally require the payment of a cash deposit or issuance of a letter of credit for the right to acquire lots during a specified period of time at a fixed or variable price.

 

Under option contracts, purchase of the properties is contingent upon satisfaction of certain requirements by us and the sellers. Our liability under option contracts is generally limited to forfeiture of the non-refundable deposits, letters of credit and other non-refundable amounts incurred, which aggregated approximately $38.7 million at September 30, 2010. At September 30, 2010, future amounts under option contracts aggregated approximately $221.3 million, net of cash deposits.

 

The following table sets forth, by reportable segment, land controlled by us as of September 30, 2010:

 

 

 

 

The following table sets forth, by reportable segment, land held for development, land held for future development and land held for sale as of September 30, 2010 (in thousands):

 

 

Joint Ventures.  We participate in land development joint ventures in which Beazer Homes has less than a controlling interest. We enter into joint ventures in order to acquire attractive land positions, to manage our risk profile and to leverage our capital base. Our joint ventures are typically entered into with developers, other

homebuilders and financial partners to develop finished lots for sale to the joint venture’s members and other third parties. Over the past few years for economic and strategic reasons, we have concluded our investment in a number of joint ventures.

 

Our joint ventures typically obtain secured acquisition, development and construction financing. At September 30, 2010, our unconsolidated joint ventures had borrowings outstanding totaling $394.3 million of which $327.9 million related to one joint venture in which we are a 2.58% partner. Under the terms of the agreement, our repayment guarantee related to the outstanding debt of this joint venture is approximately $15.1 million. In some instances, Beazer Homes and our joint venture partners have provided varying levels of guarantees of debt of our unconsolidated joint ventures. At September 30, 2010, these guarantees included, for certain joint ventures, construction completion guarantees, loan to value maintenance agreements, repayment guarantees and environmental indemnities (see Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

 

Construction

 

We typically act as the general contractor for the construction of our new home communities. Our project development operations are controlled by our operating divisions, whose employees supervise the construction of each new home community, coordinate the activities of subcontractors and suppliers, subject their work to quality and cost controls and assure compliance with zoning and building codes. We specify that quality, durable materials be used in the construction of our homes. Our subcontractors follow design plans prepared by architects and engineers who are retained or directly employed by us and whose designs are geared to the local market. A majority of our home plans are prepared in our corporate office, allowing us to ensure the quality of the plans we build as well as to enable us to reduce direct costs through our value engineering efforts.

 

Subcontractors typically are retained on a project-by-project basis to complete construction at a fixed price. Agreements with our subcontractors and materials suppliers are generally entered into after competitive bidding. In connection with this competitive bid process, we obtain information from prospective subcontractors and vendors with respect to their financial condition and ability to perform their agreements with us. We do not maintain significant inventories of construction materials, except for materials being utilized for homes under construction. We have numerous suppliers of raw materials and services used in our business, and such materials and services have been, and continue to be, available. Material prices may fluctuate, however, due to various factors, including demand or supply shortages, which may be beyond the control of our vendors. Whenever possible, we enter into regional and national supply contracts with certain of our vendors. We believe that our relationships with our suppliers and subcontractors are good.

 

Construction time for our homes depends on the availability of labor, materials and supplies, product type and location. Homes are designed to promote efficient use of space and materials, and to minimize construction costs and time. In all of our markets, construction of a home is typically completed within three to six months following commencement of construction. At September 30, 2010, excluding models, we had 1,393 homes at various stages of completion of which 588 were under contract and included in backlog at such date and 805 homes (423 were completed and 382 under construction) were not under a sales contract, either because the construction of the home was begun without a sales contract or because the original sales contract had been cancelled.

 

Warranty Program

 

For certain homes sold through March 31, 2004 (and in certain markets through July 31, 2004), we self-insured our warranty obligations through our wholly owned risk retention group. We continue to maintain reserves to cover potential claims on homes covered under this warranty program. Beginning with homes sold on or after April 1, 2004 (August 1, 2004 in certain markets), our warranties are issued, administered and insured, subject to applicable self-insured retentions, by independent third parties. We currently provide a limited warranty (ranging from one to two years) covering workmanship and materials per our defined performance quality standards. In addition, we provide a limited warranty (generally ranging from a minimum of five years up to the period covered by the applicable statute of repose) covering only certain defined construction defects. We also provide a defined structural warranty with single-family homes and townhomes in certain states.

Since we subcontract our homebuilding work to subcontractors whose contracts generally include an indemnity obligation and a requirement that certain minimum insurance requirements be met, including providing us with a certificate of insurance prior to receiving payments for their work, many claims relating to workmanship and materials are the primary responsibility of our subcontractors.

 

In addition, we maintain third-party insurance, subject to applicable self-insured retentions, for most construction defects that we encounter in the normal course of business. We believe that our warranty and litigation accruals and third-party insurance are adequate to cover the ultimate resolution of our potential liabilities associated with known and anticipated warranty and construction defect related claims and litigation. Please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition” and Note 13, “Contingencies” to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

 

There can be no assurance, however, that the terms and limitations of the limited warranty will be effective against claims made by the homebuyers, that we will be able to renew our insurance coverage or renew it at reasonable rates, that we will not be liable for damages, the cost of repairs, and/or the expense of litigation surrounding possible construction defects, soil subsidence or building related claims or that claims will not arise out of events or circumstances not covered by insurance and/or not subject to effective indemnification agreements with our subcontractors.

 

Marketing and Sales

 

We make extensive use of online and traditional advertising vehicles and other promotional activities, including our Internet website (http://www.beazer.com), real estate listing sites, search engine marketing, mass-media advertisements, brochures, direct marketing, directional billboards and the placement of strategically located signboards in the immediate areas of our developments.

 

We normally build, decorate, furnish and landscape model homes for each community and maintain on-site sales offices. At September 30, 2010, we maintained 248 model homes, of which 240 were owned and 8 were leased from third parties pursuant to sale and leaseback agreements. We believe that model homes play a particularly important role in our marketing efforts.

 

We generally sell our homes through commissioned new home sales counselors (who typically work from the sales offices located in the model homes used in the subdivision) as well as through independent brokers. Our personnel are available to assist prospective homebuyers by providing them with floor plans, price information, tours of model homes, and a detailed explanation of eSMART and the associated savings opportunities. The selection of interior features is a principal component of our marketing and sales efforts. Sales personnel are trained by us and participate in a structured training program to be updated on sales techniques, product enhancements, competitive products in the area, the availability of financing, construction schedules, marketing and advertising plans and Company policies including compliance, which management believes results in a sales force with extensive knowledge of our operating policies and housing products. Our policy also provides that sales personnel be licensed real estate agents where required by law. Depending on market conditions, we also at times begin construction on a number of homes for which no signed sales contract exists. The use of an inventory of such homes satisfies the requirements of relocated personnel, first time buyers and of independent brokers, who often represent customers who require a completed home within 60 days. We sometimes use various sales incentives in order to attract homebuyers. The use of incentives depends largely on local economic and competitive market conditions.

 

During fiscal 2009, we established a national new home contact center within our existing leased premises in Phoenix, Arizona. This contact center responds to telephonic and electronic (email) inquiries from prospective home buyers by providing any required information and then scheduling an appointment with a new home sales counselor in one of our new home communities.

 

Customer Financing

 

Through January 31, 2008, Beazer Mortgage Corporation (Beazer Mortgage) financed certain of our mortgage lending activities with borrowings under its warehouse line of credit or from general corporate funds prior to selling the loans and their servicing rights shortly after origination to third-party investors. Beazer Mortgage provided

qualified homebuyers numerous financing options, including conventional, FHA and Veterans’ Administration (VA) financing programs. Effective February 1, 2008, we exited the mortgage origination business and entered into an exclusive preferred lender arrangement with a national, third-party mortgage provider. The operating results of Beazer Mortgage are included in loss from discontinued operations, net of tax in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for all periods presented. See Item 3 — Legal Proceedings for discussion of the investigations and litigation related to our mortgage origination business.

 

Up until September 30, 2010, we offered title insurance services to our homebuyers in several of our markets. Effective September 30, 2010, we have sold or discontinued all of our title services operations. The operating results of our title services operations which were previously reported in our Financial Services Segment are included in loss from discontinued operations, net of tax in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for all periods presented.

 

Competition

 

The development and sale of residential properties is highly competitive and fragmented, particularly in the current weak housing environment. We compete for residential sales on the basis of a number of interrelated factors, including location, reputation, amenities, design, quality and price, with numerous large and small homebuilders, including some homebuilders with nationwide operations and greater financial resources and/or lower costs than us. We also compete for residential sales with individual resales of existing homes (including a growing number of foreclosed homes offered at substantially reduced prices), available rental housing and, to a lesser extent, resales of condominiums. In recent months, short sales (a transaction in which the seller’s mortgage lender agrees to accept a payoff of less than the balance due on the loan) and foreclosures have become a sizable portion of the existing home market.

 

We utilize our experience within our geographic markets and breadth of product line to vary our regional product offerings to reflect changing market conditions. We strive to respond to market conditions and to capitalize on the opportunities for advantageous land acquisitions in desirable locations. To further strengthen our competitive position, we rely on quality design, construction and service to provide customers with a higher measure of home.

 

Government Regulation and Environmental Matters

 

Generally, our land is purchased with entitlements, giving us the right to obtain building permits upon compliance with specified conditions, which generally are within our control. The length of time necessary to obtain such permits and approvals affects the carrying costs of unimproved property acquired for the purpose of development and construction. In addition, the continued effectiveness of permits already granted is subject to factors such as changes in policies, rules and regulations and their interpretation and application. Many governmental authorities have imposed impact fees as a means of defraying the cost of providing certain governmental services to developing areas. To date, the governmental approval processes discussed above have not had a material adverse effect on our development activities, and indeed all homebuilders in a given market face the same fees and restrictions. There can be no assurance, however, that these and other restrictions will not adversely affect us in the future.

 

We may also be subject to periodic delays or may be precluded entirely from developing communities due to building moratoriums, “slow-growth” or “no-growth” initiatives or building permit allocation ordinances which could be implemented in the future in the states and markets in which we operate. Substantially all of our land is entitled and, therefore, the moratoriums generally would only adversely affect us if they arose from health, safety and welfare issues such as insufficient water or sewage facilities. Local and state governments also have broad discretion regarding the imposition of development fees for communities in their jurisdictions. These fees are normally established, however, when we receive recorded final maps and building permits. We are also subject to a variety of local, state and federal statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations concerning the protection of health and the environment. These laws may result in delays, cause us to incur substantial compliance and other costs, and prohibit or severely restrict development in certain environmentally sensitive regions or areas.

 

In order to provide homes to homebuyers qualifying for FHA-insured or VA-guaranteed mortgages, we must construct homes in compliance with FHA and VA regulations. Our title subsidiaries are subject to various licensing requirements and real estate laws and regulations in the states in which they do business. These laws and regulations

include provisions regarding operating procedures, investments, lending and privacy disclosures, forms of policies and premiums.

 

In some states, we are required to be registered as a licensed contractor and comply with applicable rules and regulations. Also, in various states, our new home counselors are required to be licensed real estate agents and to comply with the laws and regulations applicable to real estate agents.

 

Failure to comply with any of these laws or regulations could result in loss of licensing and a restriction of our business activities in the applicable jurisdiction.

 

Bonds and Other Obligations

 

In connection with the development of our communities, we are frequently required to provide letters of credit and performance, maintenance and other bonds in support of our related obligations with respect to such developments. The amount of such obligations outstanding at any time varies in accordance with our pending development activities. In the event any such bonds or letters of credit are drawn upon, we would be obligated to reimburse the issuer of such bonds or letters of credit. At September 30, 2010 we had approximately $37.9 million and $184.7 million of outstanding letters of credit and performance bonds, respectively, primarily related to our obligations to local governments to construct roads and other improvements in various developments. This includes outstanding letters of credit of approximately $3.7 million related to our land option contracts.

 

Employees and Subcontractors

 

At September 30, 2010, we employed 883 persons, of whom 275 were sales and marketing personnel and 186 were involved in construction. Although none of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements, certain of the subcontractors engaged by us are represented by labor unions or are subject to collective bargaining arrangements. We believe that our relations with our employees and subcontractors are good.

 

Available Information

 

Our Internet website address is www.beazer.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file with or furnish them to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and are available in print to any stockholder who requests a printed copy. The public may also read and copy any materials that we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Additionally, the SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements, information statements and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.

 

In addition, many of our corporate governance documents are available on our website at www.beazer.com. Specifically, our Audit, Finance, Compensation and Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee Charters, our Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics are available. Each of these documents is available in print to any stockholder who requests it.

 

The content on our website is available for information purposes only and is not a part of and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in this report.

 

 

The homebuilding industry has been experiencing a severe downturn that may continue for an indefinite period and continue to adversely affect our business, results of operations and stockholders’ equity.

 

Most housing markets across the United States continue to be characterized by an oversupply of both new and resale home inventory, including foreclosed homes, reduced levels of consumer demand for new homes, increased cancellation rates, aggressive price competition among homebuilders and increased incentives for home sales. As a

result of these factors, we, like many other homebuilders, have experienced a material reduction in revenues and margins. These challenging market conditions are expected to continue for the foreseeable future and, in the near term, these conditions may further deteriorate. We expect that continued weakness in the homebuilding market would adversely affect our business, results of operations and stockholders’ equity as compared to prior periods and could result in additional inventory impairments in the future.

 

During the past few years, we have experienced elevated levels of cancellations by potential homebuyers although the level of cancellations has improved significantly during the last few quarters. Our backlog reflects the number and value of homes for which we have entered into a sales contract with a customer but have not yet delivered the home. Although these sales contracts typically require a cash deposit and do not make the sale contingent on the sale of the customer’s existing home, in some cases a customer may cancel the contract and receive a complete or partial refund of the deposit as a result of local laws or as a matter of our business practices. If the current industry downturn continues, economic conditions continue to deteriorate or if mortgage financing becomes less accessible, more homebuyers may have an incentive to cancel their contracts with us, even where they might be entitled to no refund or only a partial refund, rather than complete the purchase. Significant cancellations have had, and could have, a material adverse effect on our business as a result of lost sales revenue and the accumulation of unsold housing inventory. In particular, our cancellation rates for the fiscal quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 were 33.0% and 25.5%, respectively. It is important to note that both backlog and cancellation metrics are operational, rather than accounting data, and should be used only as a general gauge to evaluate performance. There is an inherent imprecision in these metrics based on an evaluation of qualitative factors during the transaction cycle.

 

Based on our impairment tests and consideration of the current and expected future market conditions, we recorded inventory impairment charges of $51.0 million and lot option abandonment charges of $0.9 million during fiscal 2010. During fiscal 2010, we also wrote down our investment in certain of our joint ventures reflecting $24.3 million of impairments of inventory held within those ventures. Future economic or financial developments, including general interest rate increases, poor performance in either the national economy or individual local economies, or our ability to meet our projections could lead to future impairments.

 

Our home sales and operating revenues could decline due to macro-economic and other factors outside of our control, such as changes in consumer confidence, declines in employment levels and increases in the quantity and decreases in the price of new homes and resale homes in the market.

 

Changes in national and regional economic conditions, as well as local economic conditions where we conduct our operations and where prospective purchasers of our homes live, may result in more caution on the part of homebuyers and, consequently, fewer home purchases. These economic uncertainties involve, among other things, conditions of supply and demand in local markets and changes in consumer confidence and income, employment levels, and government regulations. These risks and uncertainties could periodically have an adverse effect on consumer demand for and the pricing of our homes, which could cause our operating revenues to decline. Additional reductions in our revenues could, in turn, further negatively affect the market price of our securities.

 

We are the subject of pending civil litigation which could require us to pay substantial damages or could otherwise have a material adverse effect on us. The failure to fulfill our obligations under the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (the DPA) with the United States Attorney (or related agreements) and the consent order with the SEC could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

 

On July 1, 2009, we entered into the DPA with the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina and a separate but related agreement with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice (the HUD Agreement). As of September 30, 2010, we have paid $5 million to HUD pursuant to the HUD Agreement. Under the DPA, we are obligated to make payments to a restitution fund in an amount not to exceed $50 million. As of September 30, 2010, we have been credited with making $10 million of such payments. In connection with fiscal 2010, we will pay an additional $1.0 million to such fund. Future payments to the restitution fund will be equal to 4% of “adjusted EBITDA” as defined in the DPA for the first to occur of (x) a period of 60 months and (y) the total of all payments to the restitution fund equaling $50 million. In the event such payments do not equal at least $50 million at the end of

60 months then, under the HUD Agreement, the obligations to make restitution payments will continue until the first to occur of (a) 24 months or (b) the date that $48 million has been paid into the restitution fund. Our obligation to make such payments could limit our ability to invest in our business or make payments of principal or interest on our outstanding debt. In addition, in the event we fail to comply with our obligations under the DPA or the HUD Agreement various federal authorities could bring criminal or civil charges against us which could be material to our consolidated financial position, results of operations and liquidity.

 

We and certain of our current and former employees, officers and directors have been named as defendants in securities lawsuits and class action lawsuits. In addition, certain of our subsidiaries have been named in class action and multi-party lawsuits regarding claims made by homebuyers. While a number of these suits have been dismissed and/or settled, we cannot be assured that new claims by different plaintiffs will not be brought in the future. We cannot predict or determine the timing or final outcome of the current lawsuits or the effect that any adverse determinations in the lawsuits may have on us. An unfavorable determination in any of the lawsuits could result in the payment by us of substantial monetary damages which may not be covered by insurance. Further, the legal costs associated with the lawsuits and the amount of time required to be spent by management and the Board of Directors on these matters, even if we are ultimately successful, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition to expenses incurred to defend the Company in these matters, under Delaware law and our bylaws, we may have an obligation to indemnify our current and former officers and directors in relation to these matters. We have obligations to advance legal fees and expenses to certain directors and officers, and we have advanced, and may continue to advance, legal fees and expenses to certain other current and former employees.

 

In connection with the settlement agreement with the SEC entered into on September 24, 2008, we consented, without admitting or denying any wrongdoing, to a cease and desist order requiring future compliance with certain provisions of the federal securities laws and regulations. If we are found to be in violation of the order in the future, we may be subject to penalties and other adverse consequences as a result of the prior actions which could be material to our consolidated financial position, results of operations and liquidity.

 

Our insurance carriers may seek to rescind or deny coverage with respect to certain of the pending lawsuits, or we may not have sufficient coverage under such policies. If the insurance companies are successful in rescinding or denying coverage or if we do not have sufficient coverage under our policies, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

We are dependent on the services of certain key employees, and the loss of their services could hurt our business.

 

Our future success depends upon our ability to attract, train, assimilate and retain skilled personnel. If we are unable to retain our key employees or attract, train, assimilate or retain other skilled personnel in the future, it could hinder our business strategy and impose additional costs of identifying and training new individuals. Competition for qualified personnel in all of our operating markets is intense.

 

Potential future downgrades of our credit ratings could adversely affect our access to capital and could otherwise have a material adverse effect on us.

 

Over the past few years, the rating agencies had downgraded the Company’s corporate credit rating and ratings on the Company’s senior unsecured notes due to the deterioration in our homebuilding operations, credit metrics, other earnings-based metrics and the significant decrease in our tangible net worth. Although the rating agencies have increased these ratings recently, these ratings and our current credit condition affect, among other things, our ability to access new capital, especially debt, and negative changes in these ratings may result in more stringent covenants and higher interest rates under the terms of any new debt. Our credit ratings could be further lowered or rating agencies could issue adverse commentaries in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. In particular, a weakening of our financial condition, including a significant increase in our leverage or decrease in our profitability or cash flows, could adversely affect our ability to obtain necessary funds, result in a credit rating downgrade or change in outlook, or otherwise increase our cost of borrowing.

Our Senior Notes, revolving credit and letter of credit facilities, and certain other debt impose significant restrictions and obligations on us. Restrictions on our ability to borrow could adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition, limit our growth and make it more difficult for us to satisfy our debt obligations.

 

Certain of our secured and unsecured indebtedness and revolving credit and letter of credit facilities impose certain restrictions and obligations on us. Under certain of these instruments, we must comply with defined covenants which limit the Company’s ability to, among other things, incur additional indebtedness, engage in certain asset sales, make certain types of restricted payments, engage in transactions with affiliates and create liens on assets of the Company. Failure to comply with certain of these covenants could result in an event of default under the applicable instrument. Any such event of default could negatively impact other covenants or lead to cross defaults under certain of our other debt. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain any waivers or amendments that may become necessary in the event of a future default situation without significant additional cost or at all.

 

As of September 30, 2010, we had total outstanding indebtedness of approximately $1.2 billion, net of unamortized discount of approximately $23.6 million. Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences to us and the holders of our securities, including, among other things:

 

 

In addition, subject to restrictions in our existing debt instruments, we may incur additional indebtedness. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify. Our growth plans and our ability to make payments of principal or interest on, or to refinance, our indebtedness, will depend on our future operating performance and our ability to enter into additional debt and/or equity financings. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows in the future to service our debt, we may be required to refinance all or a portion of our existing debt, to sell assets or to obtain additional financing. We may not be able to do any of the foregoing on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

 

A substantial increase in mortgage interest rates or unavailability of mortgage financing may reduce consumer demand for our homes.

 

Substantially all purchasers of our homes finance their acquisition with mortgage financing. The U.S. residential mortgage market has been impacted by the deterioration in the credit quality of loans originated to non-prime and subprime borrowers and an increase in mortgage foreclosure rates. These difficulties are not expected to improve until residential real estate inventories return to a more normal level and the mortgage credit market stabilizes. While the ultimate outcome of recent events cannot be predicted, they have had and may continue to have an impact on the availability and cost of mortgage financing to our customers. The volatility in interest rates, the decrease in the willingness and ability of lenders to make home mortgage loans, the tightening of lending standards and the limitation of financing product options, have made it more difficult for homebuyers to obtain acceptable financing. Any substantial increase in mortgage interest rates or unavailability of mortgage financing would adversely affect the ability of prospective first-time and move-up homebuyers to obtain financing for our homes, as well as adversely affect the ability of prospective move-up homebuyers to sell their current homes. This disruption in the credit markets and the curtailed availability of mortgage financing has adversely affected, and is expected to continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows as compared to prior periods.

If we are unsuccessful in competing against our homebuilding competitors, our market share could decline or our growth could be impaired and, as a result, our financial results could suffer.

 

Competition in the homebuilding industry is intense, and there are relatively low barriers to entry into our business. Increased competition could hurt our business, as it could prevent us from acquiring attractive parcels of land on which to build homes or make such acquisitions more expensive, hinder our market share expansion, and lead to pricing pressures on our homes that may adversely impact our margins and revenues. If we are unable to successfully compete, our financial results could suffer and the value of, or our ability to service, our debt could be adversely affected. Our competitors may independently develop land and construct housing units that are superior or substantially similar to our products. Furthermore, some of our competitors have substantially greater financial resources and lower costs of funds than we do. Many of these competitors also have longstanding relationships with subcontractors and suppliers in the markets in which we operate. We currently build in several of the top markets in the nation and, therefore, we expect to continue to face additional competition from new entrants into our markets.

 

Our financial condition, results of operations and stockholders’ equity may be adversely affected by any decrease in the value of our inventory, as well as by the associated carrying costs.

 

We regularly acquire land for replacement and expansion of land inventory within our existing and new markets. The risks inherent in purchasing and developing land increase as consumer demand for housing decreases. The market value of land, building lots and housing inventories can fluctuate significantly as a result of changing market conditions and the measures we employ to manage inventory risk may not be adequate to insulate our operations from a severe drop in inventory values. When market conditions are such that land values are not appreciating, previously entered into option agreements may become less desirable, at which time we may elect to forego deposits and preacquisition costs and terminate the agreements. In fiscal 2010, we recorded $0.9 million of lot option abandonment charges. During fiscal 2010, as a result of the further deterioration of the housing market, we determined that the carrying amount of certain of our inventory assets exceeded their estimated fair value. As a result of our analysis, during fiscal 2010, we incurred $51.0 million of non-cash pre-tax charges related to inventory impairments. If these adverse market conditions continue or worsen, we may have to incur additional inventory impairment charges which would adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and stockholders’ equity and our ability to comply with certain covenants in our debt instruments linked to tangible net worth.

 

We conduct certain of our operations through unconsolidated joint ventures with independent third parties in which we do not have a controlling interest and we can be adversely impacted by joint venture partners’ failure to fulfill their obligations.

 

We participate in land development joint ventures (JVs) in which we have less than a controlling interest. We have entered into JVs in order to acquire attractive land positions, to manage our risk profile and to leverage our capital base. Our JVs are typically entered into with developers, other homebuilders and financial partners to develop finished lots for sale to the joint venture’s members and other third parties. As a result of the continued deterioration of the housing market, we have written down our investment in certain of our JVs reflecting impairments of inventory held within those JVs. If these adverse market conditions continue or worsen, we may have to take further writedowns of our investments in our JVs.

 

Our joint venture investments are generally very illiquid both because we lack a controlling interest in the JVs and because most of our JVs are structured to require super-majority or unanimous approval of the members to sell a substantial portion of the JV’s assets or for a member to receive a return of its invested capital. Our lack of a controlling interest also results in the risk that the JV will take actions that we disagree with, or fail to take actions that we desire, including actions regarding the sale of the underlying property.

 

Our JVs typically obtain secured acquisition, development and construction financing. Generally, we and our joint venture partners have provided varying levels of guarantees of debt or other obligations of our unconsolidated JVs. At September 30, 2010, these guarantees included, for certain joint ventures, construction completion guarantees, loan-to-value maintenance agreements, repayment guarantees and environmental indemnities. As of September 30, 2010, one of our unconsolidated joint ventures is in default under its debt agreement. If all of the

guarantees under these debt agreements were drawn upon or otherwise invoked, our obligations would total $15.8 million. We cannot predict whether such events will occur or whether such obligations will be invoked.

 

We may not be able to utilize all of our deferred tax assets.

 

As of September 30, 2010, we are in a cumulative loss position based on the guidance in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes (ASC 740). Due to this cumulative loss position and the lack of sufficient objective evidence regarding the realization of our deferred tax assets in the foreseeable future, we have recorded a valuation allowance for substantially all of our deferred tax assets. Although we do expect the industry to recover from the current downturn to normal profit levels in the future, it may be necessary for us to record additional valuation allowances in the future related to operating losses. Additional valuation allowances could materially increase our income tax expense, and therefore adversely affect our results of operations and tangible net worth in the period in which such valuation allowance is recorded.

 

We could experience a reduction in home sales and revenues or reduced cash flows due to our inability to acquire land for our housing developments if we are unable to obtain reasonably priced financing to support our homebuilding activities.

 

The homebuilding industry is capital intensive, and homebuilding requires significant up-front expenditures to acquire land and to begin development. Accordingly, we incur substantial indebtedness to finance our homebuilding activities. If internally generated funds are not sufficient, we would seek additional capital in the form of equity or debt financing from a variety of potential sources, including additional bank financing and/or securities offerings. The amount and types of indebtedness which we may incur are limited by the terms of our existing debt. In addition, the availability of borrowed funds, especially for land acquisition and construction financing, may be greatly reduced nationally, and the lending community may require increased amounts of equity to be invested in a project by borrowers in connection with both new loans and the extension of existing loans. The credit and capital markets have recently experienced significant volatility. If we are required to seek additional financing to fund our operations, continued volatility in these markets may restrict our flexibility to access such financing. If we are not successful in obtaining sufficient capital to fund our planned capital and other expenditures, we may be unable to acquire land for our housing developments. Additionally, if we cannot obtain additional financing to fund the purchase of land under our option contracts, we may incur contractual penalties and fees.

 

Our stock price is volatile and could further decline.

 

The securities markets in general and our common stock in particular have experienced significant price and volume volatility over the past few years. The market price and volume of our common stock may continue to experience significant fluctuations due not only to general stock market conditions but also to a change in sentiment in the market regarding our industry, operations or business prospects. In addition to the other risk factors discussed in this section, the price and volume volatility of our common stock may be affected by:

 

 

To the extent that the price of our common stock remains low or declines, our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or otherwise use our common stock as consideration will be reduced. This, in turn, may adversely impact our ability to reduce our financial leverage, as measured by the ratio of debt to total capital. As of

September 30, 2010, our financial leverage was 75.3%. Continued high levels of leverage or significant increases may adversely affect our credit ratings and make it more difficult for us to access additional capital. These factors may limit our ability to implement our operating and growth plans.

 

The tax benefits of our pre-ownership change net operating loss carryforwards and any future recognized built-in losses in our assets will be substantially limited since we experienced an “ownership change” as defined in Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

Based on recent impairments and our current financial performance, we generated net operating losses for fiscal 2010 and could possibly generate additional net operating losses in future years. In addition, we believe we have significant “built-in losses” in our assets (i.e. an excess tax basis over current fair market value) that may result in tax losses as such assets are sold. Net operating losses generally may be carried forward for a 20-year period to offset future earnings and reduce our federal income tax liability. Built-in losses, if and when recognized, generally will result in tax losses that may then be deducted or carried forward. However, because we experienced an “ownership change” under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code as of January 12, 2010, our ability to realize these tax benefits may be significantly limited.

 

Section 382 contains rules that limit the ability of a company that undergoes an “ownership change,” which is generally defined as any change in ownership of more than 50% of its common stock over a three-year period, to utilize its net operating loss carryforwards and certain built-in losses or deductions, as of the ownership change date, that are recognized during the five-year period after the ownership change. These rules generally operate by focusing on changes in the ownership among shareholders owning, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of the company’s common stock (including changes involving a shareholder becoming a 5% shareholder) or any change in ownership arising from a new issuance of stock or share repurchases by the company.

 

As a result of our recent “ownership change” for purposes of Section 382, our ability to use certain of our pre-ownership change net operating loss carryforwards and recognize certain built-in losses or deductions is limited by Section 382 to an estimated maximum amount of approximately $11.4 million ($4 million tax-effected) annually. Based on the resulting limitation, a significant portion of our pre-ownership change net operating loss carryforwards and any future recognized built-in losses or deductions could expire before we would be able to use them. Our inability to utilize our limited pre-ownership change net operating loss carryforwards and any future recognized built-in losses or deductions or the occurrence of a future ownership change and resulting additional limitations could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

We are subject to extensive government regulation which could cause us to incur significant liabilities or restrict our business activities.

 

Regulatory requirements could cause us to incur significant liabilities and operating expenses and could restrict our business activities. We are subject to local, state and federal statutes and rules regulating, among other things, certain developmental matters, building and site design, and matters concerning the protection of health and the environment. Our operating expenses may be increased by governmental regulations such as building permit allocation ordinances and impact and other fees and taxes, which may be imposed to defray the cost of providing certain governmental services and improvements. Other governmental regulations, such as building moratoriums and “no growth” or “slow growth” initiatives, which may be adopted in communities which have developed rapidly, may cause delays in new home communities or otherwise restrict our business activities resulting in reductions in our revenues. Any delay or refusal from government agencies to grant us necessary licenses, permits and approvals could have an adverse effect on our operations.

 

We may incur additional operating expenses due to compliance programs or fines, penalties and remediation costs pertaining to environmental regulations within our markets.

 

We are subject to a variety of local, state and federal statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations concerning the protection of health and the environment. 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 use of the site. Environmental laws may result in delays, may cause us to implement time consuming and expensive

compliance programs and may prohibit or severely restrict development in certain environmentally sensitive regions or areas. From time to time, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and similar federal or state agencies review homebuilders’ compliance with environmental laws and may levy fines and penalties for failure to strictly comply with applicable environmental laws or impose additional requirements for future compliance as a result of past failures. Any such actions taken with respect to us may increase our costs. Further, we expect that increasingly stringent requirements will be imposed on homebuilders in the future. Environmental regulations can also have an adverse impact on the availability and price of certain raw materials such as lumber. Our communities in California are especially susceptible to restrictive government regulations and environmental laws.

 

We may be subject to significant potential liabilities as a result of construction defect, product liability and warranty claims made against us.

 

As a homebuilder, we have been, and continue to be, subject to construction defect, product liability and home warranty claims, including moisture intrusion and related claims, arising in the ordinary course of business. These claims are common to the homebuilding industry and can be costly.

 

We and certain of our subsidiaries have been, and continue to be, named as defendants in various construction defect claims, product liability claims, complaints and other legal actions that include claims related to Chinese drywall and moisture intrusion. As of September 30, 2010, our warranty reserves include an estimate for the repair of less than 60 homes in Florida where certain of our subcontractors installed defective Chinese drywall in homes that were delivered during our 2006 and 2007 fiscal years. As of September 30, we have completed repairs on approximately 52% of these homes. We are inspecting additional homes in order to determine whether they also contain defective Chinese drywall. The outcome of these inspections and other potential future inspections or an unexpected increase in repair costs may require us to increase our warranty reserve in the future. However, the amount of additional liability, if any, is not reasonably estimable. Furthermore, plaintiffs may in certain of these legal proceedings seek class action status with potential class sizes that vary from case to case. Class action lawsuits can be costly to defend, and if we were to lose any certified class action suit, it could result in substantial liability for us.

 

With respect to certain general liability exposures, including construction defect claims, product liability claims and defective Chinese drywall and related claims, interpretation of underlying current and future trends, assessment of claims and the related liability and reserve estimation process is highly judgmental due to the complex nature of these exposures, with each exposure exhibiting unique circumstances. Furthermore, once claims are asserted for construction defects, it can be difficult to determine the extent to which the assertion of these claims will expand geographically. Although we have obtained insurance for construction defect claims subject to applicable self-insurance retentions, such policies may not be available or adequate to cover liability for damages, the cost of repairs, and/or the expense of litigation surrounding current claims, and future claims may arise out of events or circumstances not covered by insurance and not subject to effective indemnification agreements with our subcontractors.

 

Our operating expenses could increase if we are required to pay higher insurance premiums or litigation costs for various claims, which could cause our net income to decline.

 

The costs of insuring against construction defect, product liability and director and officer claims are substantial. Increasingly in recent years, lawsuits (including class action lawsuits) have been filed against builders, asserting claims of personal injury and property damage. Our insurance may not cover all of the claims, including personal injury claims, or such coverage may become prohibitively expensive. If we are not able to obtain adequate insurance against these claims, we may experience losses that could reduce our net income and restrict our cash flow available to service debt.

 

Historically, builders have recovered from subcontractors and their insurance carriers a significant portion of the construction defect liabilities and costs of defense that the builders have incurred. Insurance coverage available to subcontractors for construction defects is becoming increasingly expensive, and the scope of coverage is

restricted. If we cannot effectively recover from our subcontractors or their carriers, we may suffer greater losses which could decrease our net income.

 

A builder’s ability to recover against any available insurance policy depends upon the continued solvency and financial strength of the insurance carrier that issued the policy. Many of the states in which we build homes have lengthy statutes of limitations applicable to claims for construction defects. To the extent that any carrier providing insurance coverage to us or our subcontractors becomes insolvent or experiences financial difficulty in the future, we may be unable to recover on those policies, and our net income may decline.

 

We are dependent on the continued availability and satisfactory performance of our subcontractors, which, if unavailable, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We conduct our construction operations only as a general contractor. Virtually all construction work is performed by unaffiliated third-party subcontractors. As a consequence, we depend on the continued availability of and satisfactory performance by these subcontractors for the construction of our homes. There may not be sufficient availability of and satisfactory performance by these unaffiliated third-party subcontractors in the markets in which we operate. In addition, inadequate subcontractor resources could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We experience fluctuations and variability in our operating results on a quarterly basis and, as a result, our historical performance may not be a meaningful indicator of future results.

 

Our operating results in a future quarter or quarters may fall below expectations of securities analysts or investors and, as a result, the market value of our common stock will fluctuate. We historically have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, variability in home sales and net earnings on a quarterly basis. As a result of such variability, our historical performance may not be a meaningful indicator of future results. Our quarterly results of operations may continue to fluctuate in the future as a result of a variety of both national and local factors, including, among others:

 

 

The occurrence of natural disasters could increase our operating expenses and reduce our revenues and cash flows.

 

The climates and geology of many of the states in which we operate, including California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, present increased risks of natural disasters. To the extent that hurricanes, severe storms, earthquakes, droughts, floods, wildfires or other natural disasters or similar events occur, our homes under construction or our building lots in such states could be damaged or destroyed, which may result in losses exceeding our insurance coverage. Any of these events could increase our operating expenses, impair our cash flows and reduce our revenues, which could, in turn, negatively affect the market price of our securities.

 

Future terrorist attacks against the United States or increased domestic or international instability could have an adverse effect on our operations.

 

Adverse developments in the war on terrorism, future terrorist attacks against the United States, or any outbreak or escalation of hostilities between the United States and any foreign power, including the armed conflicts

in Iraq and Afghanistan, may cause disruption to the economy, our Company, our employees and our customers, which could adversely affect our revenues, operating expenses, and financial condition.

 

 

None.

 

 

As of September 30, 2010, we lease approximately 80,000 square feet of office space in Atlanta, Georgia to house our corporate headquarters. We also lease an aggregate of approximately 362,000 square feet of office space for our subsidiaries’ operations at various locations. We have subleased approximately 75,000 square feet of our leased office space to unrelated third-parties. We own approximately 49,000 square feet of office space in Indianapolis, Indiana which we are actively marketing for sale.

 

 

Litigation

 

ERISA Class Actions.  On April 30, 2007, a putative class action complaint was filed on behalf of a purported class consisting of present and former participants and beneficiaries of the Beazer Homes USA, Inc. 401(k) Plan against the Company and certain employees and directors of the Company. The complaint alleges breach of fiduciary duties, including those set forth in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), as a result of the investment of retirement monies held by the 401(k) Plan in common stock of Beazer Homes at a time when participants were allegedly not provided timely, accurate and complete information concerning Beazer Homes. Four additional lawsuits were filed subsequently making similar allegations and the court consolidated these five lawsuits. The parties have reached a settlement which will be largely funded by insurance proceeds and is subject to court approval. Under the terms of the settlement, the lawsuit will be dismissed with prejudice and there will be a release of all claims. The court has preliminarily approved the settlement and a hearing is scheduled for November 15, 2010 to consider final approval of the settlement.

 

Homeowners Class Action Lawsuits and Multi-Plaintiff Lawsuit.  A putative class action was filed on April 8, 2008 in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, Salisbury Division, against Beazer Homes, U.S.A., Inc., Beazer Homes Corp. and Beazer Mortgage Corporation. The Complaint alleges that Beazer violated the Real Estate Settlement Practices Act (RESPA) and North Carolina Gen. Stat. § 75-1.1 by (1) improperly requiring homebuyers to use Beazer-owned mortgage and settlement services as part of a down payment assistance program, and (2) illegally increasing the cost of homes and settlement services sold by Beazer Homes Corp. The purported class consists of all residents of North Carolina who purchased a home from Beazer, using mortgage financing provided by and through Beazer that included seller-funded down payment assistance, between January 1, 2000 and October 11, 2007. The parties have reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit, which will be partially funded by insurance proceeds and is subject to court approval. Under the terms of the settlement, the action will be dismissed with prejudice, and the Company and all other defendants will not admit any liability.

 

Beazer Homes and several subsidiaries were named as defendants in a putative class action lawsuit originally filed on March 12, 2008, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Placer. The purported class is defined as all persons who purchased a home from the defendants or their affiliates, with the assistance of a federally related mortgage loan, from March 25, 1999, to the present where Security Title Insurance Company received any money as a reinsurer of the transaction. The complaint alleges that the defendants violated RESPA and asserts claims under a number of state statutes alleging that defendants engaged in a uniform and systematic practice of giving and/or accepting fees and kickbacks to affiliated businesses including affiliated and/or recommended title insurance companies. The complaint also alleges a number of common law claims. Plaintiffs seek an unspecified amount of damages under RESPA, unspecified statutory, compensatory and punitive damages and injunctive and declaratory relief, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs. Defendants removed the action to federal court and plaintiffs filed a Second Amended Complaint which substituted new named-plaintiffs. The Company filed a motion to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint, which the federal court granted in part. The federal court dismissed the sole federal claim, declined to rule on the state law claims, and remanded the case to the Superior Court of Placer

County. The Company filed a supplemental motion to dismiss/demurrer regarding the remaining state law claims in the Second Amended Complaint and the state court sustained defendants’ demurrer but granted the plaintiffs leave to amend their claims. Plaintiffs thereafter filed a Third Amended Complaint which defendants removed to federal court based on the presence of a federal question and pursuant to the Class Action Fairness Act and thereafter moved to dismiss. Plaintiffs filed a motion to remand the case. The federal court granted the plaintiffs’ motion and remanded the case to the Superior Court of Placer County. The defendants filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for permission to appeal the remand order and a demurrer in state court as to all counts of the Third Amended Complaint. The state court granted the defendants’ demurrer as to the plaintiffs’ breach of contract claim, but the unfair competition claim remains. The Company filed its answer to the Third Amended Complaint on June 11, 2010. The Company is in the process of conducting discovery and is vigorously defending against the action.

 

On June 3, 2009, a purported class action complaint was filed by the owners of one of our homes in our Magnolia Lakes’ community in Ft. Myers, Florida. The complaint names the Company and certain distributors and suppliers of drywall and was filed in the Circuit Court for Lee County, Florida on behalf of the named plaintiffs and other similarly situated owners of homes in Magnolia Lakes or alternatively in the State of Florida. The plaintiffs allege that the Company built their homes with defective drywall, manufactured in China, that contains sulfur compounds that allegedly corrode certain metals and that are allegedly capable of harming the health of individuals. Plaintiffs allege physical and economic damages and seek legal and equitable relief, medical monitoring and attorney’s fees. This case has been transferred to the Eastern District of Louisiana pursuant to an order from the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. In addition, the Company has been named in other complaints filed in the multidistrict litigation and continues to pursue recovery against responsible subcontractors and drywall suppliers. The Company believes that the claims asserted in these actions are governed by its home warranty or are without merit. Accordingly, the Company intends to vigorously defend against this litigation.

 

The lender of one of our unconsolidated joint ventures filed individual lawsuits against some of the joint venture members and certain of those members’ parent companies (including the Company), seeking to recover damages under completion guarantees, among other claims. We intend to vigorously defend against this legal action. We are a 2.58% member in this joint venture (see Note 3 for additional information). An estimate of probable loss or range of loss, if any cannot presently be made. In addition, one member of the joint venture filed an arbitration proceeding against the remaining members related to the plaintiff-member’s allegations that the other members failed to perform under the applicable membership agreements. The arbitration panel issued its decision on July 6, 2010 and denied the plaintiff’s claims for specific performance claims and awarded damages in an amount well below the amount claimed. The Company does not believe that its proportional share of the award is material to our consolidated financial position or results of operations. The plaintiff has moved to have the panel’s award confirmed. Defendants have opposed the motion and have moved to vacate the panel’s decision in part.

 

We cannot predict or determine the timing or final outcome of the lawsuits or the effect that any adverse findings or adverse determinations in the pending lawsuits may have on us. In addition, an estimate of possible loss or range of loss, if any, cannot presently be made with respect to the above pending matters. An unfavorable determination in any of the pending lawsuits could result in the payment by us of substantial monetary damages which may not be fully covered by insurance. Further, the legal costs associated with the lawsuits and the amount of time required to be spent by management and the Board of Directors on these matters, even if we are ultimately successful, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Other Matters

 

As disclosed in our 2009 Form 10-K, on July 1, 2009, the Company announced that it has resolved the criminal and civil investigations by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina (the U.S. Attorney) and other state and federal agencies concerning matters that were the subject of the independent investigation, initiated in April 2007 by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors (the Investigation) and concluded in May 2008. Under the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement (DPA), the Company’s liability for fiscal 2010 is $1 million and in each of the fiscal years after 2010 through a portion of fiscal 2014 (unless extended as described in Note 13) will be equal to 4% of the Company’s adjusted EBITDA (as defined in the DPA). The total amount of such obligations will be dependent on several factors; however, the maximum liability under the DPA and

other settlement agreements discussed above will not exceed $55.0 million of which $15 million has been paid as of September 30, 2010.

 

In November 2003, Beazer Homes received a request for information from the EPA pursuant to Section 308 of the Clean Water Act seeking information concerning the nature and extent of storm water discharge practices relating to certain of our communities completed or under construction. The EPA or the equivalent state agency has issued Administrative Orders identifying alleged instances of noncompliance and requiring corrective action to address the alleged deficiencies in storm water management practices. The parties have agreed to settle this matter and the terms are being finalized. The amount to be paid by the Company pursuant to the settlement agreement will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operation or cash flows. Beazer Homes has taken action to comply with the requirements of each of the Administrative Orders and is working to otherwise maintain compliance with the requirements of the Clean Water Act.

 

In 2006, we received two Administrative Orders issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The Orders allege certain violations of wetlands disturbance permits. The two Orders assess proposed fines of $630,000 and $678,000, respectively. We have met with the Department to discuss their concerns on the two affected communities and have requested hearings on both matters. We believe that we have significant defenses to the alleged violations and intend to contest the agency’s findings and the proposed fines. We are currently pursuing settlement discussions with the Department.

 

We and certain of our subsidiaries have been named as defendants in various claims, complaints and other legal actions, most relating to construction defects, moisture intrusion and product liability. Certain of the liabilities resulting from these actions are covered in whole or part by insurance. In our opinion, based on our current assessment, the ultimate resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

 

 

None.

PART II

 

 

Market Information

 

The Company lists its common shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol “BZH.” On November 3, 2010, the last reported sales price of the Company’s common stock on the NYSE was $4.18. On November 3, 2010, Beazer Homes USA, Inc. had approximately 237 stockholders of record and 75,669,381 shares of common stock outstanding. The following table sets forth, for the quarters indicated, the range of high and low trading for the Company’s common stock during fiscal 2010 and 2009.

 

 

Dividends

 

Effective November 2, 2007, the Board of Directors suspended the payment of quarterly dividends. The Board concluded that this action, which will allow the Company to conserve approximately $16 million of cash on an annual basis, was a prudent effort in light of the continued deterioration in the housing market. The Board of Directors will periodically reconsider the declaration of dividends. The reinstatement of quarterly dividends, the amount of such dividends, and the form in which the dividends are paid (cash or stock) depends upon the results of operations, the financial condition of the Company and other factors which the Board of Directors deems relevant. The indentures under which our senior notes were issued contain certain restrictive covenants, including limitations on payment of dividends. At September 30, 2010, under the most restrictive covenants of each indenture, none of our retained earnings was available for cash dividends or share repurchases.

 

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

 

The following table provides information as of September 30, 2010 with respect to our shares of common stock that may be issued under our existing equity compensation plans, all of which have been approved by our stockholders:

 

 

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

On November 18, 2005, as part of an acceleration of our comprehensive plan to enhance stockholder value, our Board of Directors authorized an increase of our stock repurchase plan to ten million shares of our common stock. Shares may be purchased for cash in the open market, on the NYSE or in privately negotiated transactions. During fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008, we did not repurchase any shares in the open market. We have currently suspended our repurchase program and any resumption of such program will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and is unlikely in the foreseeable future.

 

During the quarter ended September 30, 2010, 5,634 shares, at an average price of $4.52 per share, were surrendered to us by employees in payment of minimum tax obligations upon the vesting of restricted stock units under our stock incentive plans.

 

Performance Graph

 

The following graph illustrates the cumulative total stockholder return on Beazer Homes’ common stock for the last five fiscal years through September 30, 2010, compared to the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Homebuilding Index. The comparison assumes an investment in Beazer Homes’ common stock and in each of the foregoing indices of $100 at September 30, 2005, and assumes that all dividends were reinvested. Stockholder returns over the indicated period are based on historical data and should not be considered indicative of future stockholder returns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) equals net (loss) income before (a) previously capitalized interest amortized to home construction and land sales expenses, capitalized interest impaired and interest expense not qualified for capitalization and (b) income taxes. Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and impairments) is calculated by adding non-cash charges, including depreciation, amortization, inventory impairment and abandonment charges, goodwill impairments and joint venture impairment charges for the period to EBIT. EBIT and Adjusted EBITDA are not GAAP financial measures. EBIT and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered alternatives to net income determined in accordance with GAAP as an indicator of operating performance, nor an alternative to cash flows from operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP as a measure of liquidity. Because some analysts and companies may not calculate EBIT and Adjusted EBITDA in the same manner as Beazer Homes, the EBIT and Adjusted EBITDA information presented above may not be comparable to similar presentations by others.

 

The magnitude and volatility of non-cash inventory impairment and abandonment charges, goodwill impairments and joint venture impairment charges for the Company, and for other home builders, have been significant in recent periods and, as such, have made financial analysis of our industry more difficult. Adjusted EBITDA, and other similar presentations by analysts and other companies, is frequently used to assist investors in understanding and comparing the operating characteristics of home building activities by eliminating many of the differences in companies’ respective capitalization, tax position and level of impairments. Management believes this non-GAAP measure enables holders of our securities to better understand the cash implications of our operating performance and our ability to service our debt obligations as they currently exist and as additional indebtedness is incurred in the future. The measure is also useful internally, helping management compare operating results and as a measure of the level of cash which may be available for discretionary spending.

 

 

Executive Overview and Outlook

 

The macro-economic conditions experienced during Fiscal 2010 continued to present challenges that have hindered a recovery for the homebuilding industry. Consumers enjoyed record low interest rates for home mortgages and housing affordability along with federal and local government incentives that have attempted to support the housing industry. These factors provided significant support to the industry during our second and third fiscal quarters as we experienced significant increases in new home orders. However, this elevated volume of home purchases was not sustained upon the expiration of the government incentives. Continued high unemployment levels have caused high levels of uncertainty among employers and consumers concerning the health of the overall economy. This uncertainty led to a decline in home orders during our fourth fiscal quarter that has continued into the first quarter of fiscal 2011. The current homebuilding environment is also challenged by increased numbers of foreclosed homes offered at substantially reduced prices. These combined pressures in the marketplace have resulted in the continued use of sales incentives and price reductions by us and many of our competitors in an effort to generate sales and reduce inventory levels. As a result, we continued to experience inventory valuation adjustments throughout fiscal 2010. Despite these challenges, we were able to produce improvements in new home orders, home closings, gross margins and profitability in fiscal 2010 as compared to fiscal 2009.

During fiscal 2010, we continued to improve our capitalization while maintaining our three primary goals: generate and maintain liquidity, reduce debt and increase shareholder net worth. We raised $166.7 million of common equity capital, $128.2 million of equity linked capital (Mandatory Convertible Subordinated Notes and Tangible Equity Units) and $300 million Senior Notes while repaying $585.4 million of our Senior Notes.

 

In fiscal 2010, we recognized a tax benefit from total operations of $133.2 million primarily resulting from The Worker, Homeownership and Business Act of 2009 which allowed us to carry back a portion of our fiscal 2009 federal tax loss. This carry back claim allowed us to claim a refund of taxes paid in prior years and to monetize a deferred tax asset that had previously had a valuation allowance recorded against it. The total amount of income tax refunds we received in fiscal 2010 was $135.8 million.

 

Throughout the homebuilding recession we have remained disciplined in our approach to the business. We have continued to reduce direct construction costs, overhead expenses and controlled our land acquisition and development spending. We remain committed to controlling our supply of unsold homes under construction and ensuring that our inventory supply aligns with our current demand expectations. This approach resulted in the closure of several divisional operations during the past several years and resulted in our decision to exit the Jacksonville, Florida and Albuquerque, New Mexico markets during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. We expect to continue this disciplined approach to managing our business during these uncertain times as we strive toward returning to profitability.

 

We will continue to focus on maintaining a significant liquidity position as we selectively invest in the growth of the business. We may also, from time to time, continue to seek to retire or purchase our outstanding debt through cash purchases and/or exchanges for equity or other debt securities, in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. There can be no assurances that we will be able to complete any of these transactions in the future on favorable terms or at all.

 

While our visibility into the economic conditions for fiscal 2011 is limited at this time, we believe that we will continue to benefit from increases in housing starts and improvements in employment. Therefore, we believe the environment will improve, perhaps slowly, and we have taken and will continue to take steps necessary to position ourselves to participate in the housing recovery.

 

We operated Beazer Mortgage Corporation (BMC) from 1998 through February 2008 to offer mortgage financing to the buyers of our homes. BMC entered into various agreements with mortgage investors for the origination of mortgage loans. Underwriting decisions were not made by BMC but by the investors or third-party service providers. To date, we have received requests to repurchase fewer than 100 mortgage loans from various investors. While we have not been required to repurchase any mortgage loans, we have established an immaterial amount as a reserve for the repurchase of mortgage loans originated by BMC. We cannot rule out the potential for additional mortgage loan repurchase claims in the future, although, at this time, we do not believe that the exposure related to any such additional claims would be material to our consolidated financial position or results of operation. As of September 30, 2010, no liability has been recorded for any such additional claims as such exposure is not both probable and reasonably estimable.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

Some of our critical accounting policies require the use of judgment in their application or require estimates of inherently uncertain matters. Although our accounting policies are in compliance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP), a change in the facts and circumstances of the underlying transactions could significantly change the application of the accounting policies and the resulting financial statement impact. Listed below are those policies that we believe are critical and require the use of complex judgment in their application.

 

Inventory Valuation — Held for Development

 

Our homebuilding inventories that are accounted for as held for development include land and home construction assets grouped together as communities. Homebuilding inventories held for development are stated at cost (including direct construction costs, capitalized indirect costs, capitalized interest and real estate taxes)

unless facts and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. We assess these assets no less than quarterly for recoverability in accordance with the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets (ASC 360). Generally, upon the commencement of land development activities, it may take three to five years (depending on, among other things, the size of the community and its sales pace) to fully develop, sell, construct and close all the homes in a typical community. However, the impact of the recent downturn in our business has significantly lengthened the estimated life of many communities. Recoverability of assets is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the expected undiscounted cash flows generated are expected to be less than its carrying amount, an impairment charge should be recorded to write down the carrying amount of such asset to its estimated fair value based on discounted cash flows.

 

We conduct a review of the recoverability of our homebuilding inventories held for development at the community level as factors indicate that an impairment may exist. Events and circumstances that might indicate impairment include, but are not limited to, (1) adverse trends in new orders, (2) higher than anticipated cancellations, (3) declining margins, which might result from the need to offer incentives to new homebuyers to drive sales or price reductions to respond to actions taken by our competitors, (4) economic factors specific to the markets in which we operate, including fluctuations in employment levels, population growth, or levels of new and resale homes for sale in the marketplace and (5) a decline in the availability of credit across all industries.

 

As a result, we evaluate, among other things, the following information for each community:

 

 

In determining the recoverability of the carrying value of the assets of a community that we have evaluated as requiring a test for impairment, significant quantitative and qualitative assumptions are made relative to the future home sales prices, sales incentives, direct and indirect costs of home construction and land development and the pace of new home orders. In addition, these assumptions are dependent upon the specific market conditions and competitive factors for each specific community and may differ greatly between communities within the same market and communities in different markets. Our estimates are made using information available at the date of the recoverability test, however, as facts and circumstances may change in future reporting periods, our estimates of recoverability are subject to change.

 

For assets in communities for which the undiscounted future cash flows are less than the carrying value, the carrying value of that community is written down to its then estimated fair value based on discounted cash flows. The carrying value of assets in communities that were previously impaired and continue to be classified as held for development is not written up for future estimates of increases in fair value in future reporting periods. Market deterioration that exceeds our estimates may lead us to incur additional impairment charges on previously impaired

homebuilding assets in addition to homebuilding assets not currently impaired but for which indicators of impairment may arise if the market continues to deteriorate.

 

The fair value of the homebuilding inventory held for development is estimated using the present value of the estimated future cash flows using discount rates commensurate with the risk associated with the underlying community assets. The discount rate used may be different for each community. The factors considered when determining an appropriate discount rate for a community include, among others: (1) community specific factors such as the number of lots in the community, the status of land development in the community, the competitive factors influencing the sales performance of the community and (2) overall market factors such as employment levels, consumer confidence and the existing supply of new and used homes for sale. The assumptions used in our discounted cash flow models are specific to each community tested for impairment. Historically, these assumptions did not include market improvements except in limited circumstances in the latter years of long-lived communities. Our assumptions assume limited market improvements in some communities beginning in fiscal 2011 and continuing improvement in these communities in subsequent years. We assumed the remaining communities would have market improvements beginning in fiscal 2012.

 

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010, we used discount rates of 13.7% to 20.0% in our estimated discounted cash flow impairment calculations. During fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008, we recorded impairments of our inventory of approximately $48.1 million, $78.7 million and $290.7 million, respectively, for land under development and homes under construction for our continuing operations. Impairments of inventory previously held for development related to our discontinued operations were $0.8 million, $1.5 million and $21.9 million for fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

 

Due to uncertainties in the estimation process, particularly with respect to projected home sales prices and absorption rates, the timing and amount of the estimated future cash flows and discount rates, it is reasonably possible that actual results could differ from the estimates used in our historical analyses. Our assumptions about future home sales prices and absorption rates require significant judgment because the residential homebuilding industry is cyclical and is highly sensitive to changes in economic conditions. We calculated the estimated fair values of inventory held for development that were evaluated for impairment based on current market conditions and assumptions made by management relative to future results. Because our projected cash flows are significantly impacted by changes in market conditions, it is reasonably possible that actual results could differ materially from our estimates and result in additional impairments.

 

Asset Valuation — Land Held for Future Development

 

For those communities for which construction and development activities are expected to occur in the future or have been idled (land held for future development), all applicable interest and real estate taxes are expensed as incurred and the inventory is stated at cost unless facts and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. The future enactment of a development plan or the occurrence of events and circumstances may indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. We evaluate the potential development plans of each community in land held for future development if changes in facts and circumstances occur which would give rise to a more detailed analysis for a change in the status of a community to active status or held for development.

 

Asset Valuation — Land Held for Sale

 

We record assets held for sale at the lower of the carrying value or fair value less costs to sell. The following criteria are used to determine if land is held for sale:

 

 

 

Additionally, in certain circumstances, management will re-evaluate the best use of an asset that is currently being accounted for as held for development. In such instances, management will review, among other things, the current and projected competitive circumstances of the community, including the level of supply of new and used inventory, the level of sales absorptions by us and our competition, the level of sales incentives required and the number of owned lots remaining in the community. Based on this review, if the foregoing criteria have been met at the end of the applicable reporting period and we believe that the best use of the asset is the sale of all or a portion of the asset in its current condition, then all or portions of the community are accounted for as held for sale.

 

In determining the fair value of the assets less cost to sell, we considered factors including current sales prices for comparable assets in the area, recent market analysis studies, appraisals, any recent legitimate offers, and listing prices of similar properties. If the estimated fair value less cost to sell of an asset is less than its current carrying value, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value less cost to sell. During fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008, we recorded inventory impairments on land held for sale by our continuing operations of $1.1 million, $12.5 million and $61.2 million, respectively. Land held for sale inventory impairments related to our discontinued operations totaled $1.0 million, $9.4 million and $55.6 million for fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

 

Due to uncertainties in the estimation process, it is reasonably possible that actual results could differ from the estimates used in our historical analyses. Our assumptions about land sales prices require significant judgment because the current market is highly sensitive to changes in economic conditions. We calculated the estimated fair values of land held for sale based on current market conditions and assumptions made by management, which may differ materially from actual results and may result in additional impairments if market conditions continue to deteriorate.

 

Homebuilding Revenues and Costs

 

Revenue from the sale of a home is generally recognized when the closing has occurred and the risk of ownership is transferred to the buyer. As appropriate, revenue for condominiums under construction is recognized based on the percentage-of-completion method in accordance with SFAS 66, Accounting for Sales of Real Estate (ASC 360), when certain criteria are met. All associated homebuilding costs are charged to cost of sales in the period when the revenues from home closings are recognized. Homebuilding costs include land and land development costs (based upon an allocation of such costs, including costs to complete the development, or specific lot costs), home construction costs (including an estimate of costs, if any, to complete home construction), previously capitalized indirect costs (principally for construction supervision), capitalized interest and estimated warranty costs. Sales commissions are included in selling, general and administrative expense when the closing has occurred. All other costs are expensed as incurred.

 

Warranty Reserves

 

We currently provide a limited warranty (ranging from one to two years) covering workmanship and materials per our defined performance quality standards. In addition, we provide a limited warranty (generally ranging from a minimum of five years up to the period covered by the applicable statute of repose) covering only certain defined construction defects. We also provide a defined structural warranty with single-family homes and townhomes in certain states.

 

Since we subcontract our homebuilding work to subcontractors whose contracts generally include an indemnity obligation and a requirement that certain minimum insurance requirements be met, including providing us with a certificate of insurance prior to receiving payments for their work, claims relating to workmanship and materials are generally the primary responsibility of our subcontractors.

 

Warranty reserves are included in other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. We record reserves covering our anticipated warranty expense for each home closed. Management reviews the adequacy of warranty reserves each reporting period, based on historical experience and management’s estimate of the costs to remediate the claims, and adjusts these provisions accordingly. Our review includes a quarterly analysis of the historical data

and trends in warranty expense by operating segment. An analysis by operating segment allows us to consider market specific factors such as our warranty experience, the number of home closings, the prices of homes, product mix and other data in estimating our warranty reserves. In addition, our analysis also contemplates the existence of any non-recurring or community-specific warranty related matters that might not be contemplated in our historical data and trends. As a result of our analyses, we adjust our estimated warranty liabilities. Based on historical results, we believe that our existing estimation process is accurate and do not anticipate the process to materially change in the future. Our estimation process for such accruals is discussed in Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. While we believe that our warranty reserves at September 30, 2010 are adequate, there can be no assurances that historical data and trends will accurately predict our actual warranty costs or that future developments might not lead to a significant change in the reserve.

 

Investments in Unconsolidated Joint Ventures

 

We periodically enter into joint ventures with unrelated developers, other homebuilders and financial partners to develop finished lots for sale to the joint venture’s members and other third parties. We have determined that our interest in these joint ventures should be accounted for under the equity method. We recognize our share of profits and losses from the sale of lots to other buyers. Our share of profits from lots purchased by Beazer Homes from the joint ventures are deferred and treated as a reduction of the cost of the land purchased from the joint venture. Such profits are subsequently recognized at the time the home closes and title passes to the homebuyer.

 

We evaluate our investments in unconsolidated entities for impairment during each reporting period. A series of operating losses of an investee or other factors may indicate that a decrease in the value of our investment in the unconsolidated entity has occurred which is other-than-temporary. The amount of impairment recognized is the excess of the investment’s carrying value over its estimated fair value.

 

Our assumption of the joint venture’s estimated fair value is dependent on market conditions. Inventory in the joint venture is also reviewed for potential impairment by the unconsolidated entities. If a valuation adjustment is recorded by an unconsolidated entity, our proportionate share of it is reflected in our equity in income (loss) from unconsolidated joint ventures with a corresponding decrease to our investment in unconsolidated entities. The operating results of the unconsolidated joint ventures are dependent on the status of the homebuilding industry, which has historically been cyclical and sensitive to changes in economic conditions such as interest rates, credit availability, unemployment levels and consumer sentiment. Changes in these economic conditions could materially affect the projected operational results of the unconsolidated entities. Because of these changes in economic conditions, actual results could differ materially from management’s assumptions and may require material valuation adjustments to our investments in unconsolidated entities to be recorded in the future.

 

During fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008, we wrote down our investment in certain of our joint ventures reflecting $8.8 million, $12.6 million and $45.3 million, respectively, of impairments of inventory held within those ventures. These charges are included in equity in loss of unconsolidated joint ventures in the accompanying Statement of Operations for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. In addition, for fiscal 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, there were $15.5 million, $2.2 million and $23.5 million of joint venture impairments related to certain homebuilding operations in our discontinued operations and, as a result, have been included in loss from discontinued operations, net in the accompanying Statement of Operations. While we believe that no additional impairment of our unconsolidated joint venture investments existed as of September 30, 2010, market deterioration or changes in estimated future cash flows that exceeds our estimates may lead us to incur additional impairment charges. As of September 30, 2010, our remaining investments in unconsolidated joint ventures totaled $8.7 million.

 

Income Taxes — Valuation Allowance

 

Judgment is required in estimating valuation allowances for deferred tax assets. A valuation allowance is established against a deferred tax asset if, based on the available evidence, it is not more likely than not that such assets will be realized. The realization of a deferred tax asset ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income in either the carryback or carryforward periods under tax law. We periodically assess the need for valuation allowances for deferred tax assets based on more-likely-than-not realization threshold criteria. In our

assessment, appropriate consideration is given to all positive and negative evidence related to the realization of the deferred tax assets. This assessment considers, among other matters, the nature, frequency and severity of current and cumulative losses, forecasts of future profitability, the duration of statutory carryforward periods, our experience with operating loss and tax credit carryforwards not expiring unused, the Section 382 limitation on our ability to carryforward pre-ownership change net operating losses and recognized built-in losses or deductions, and tax planning alternatives.

 

Our assessment of the need for the valuation of deferred tax assets includes assessing the likely future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. We base our estimate of deferred tax assets and liabilities on current tax laws and rates and, in certain cases, business plans and other expectations about future outcomes. Changes in existing tax laws or rates could affect actual tax results and future business results may affect the amount of deferred tax liabilities or the valuation of deferred tax assets over time. Our accounting for deferred tax consequences represents our best estimate of future events. Although it is possible there will be changes that are not anticipated in our current estimates, we believe it is unlikely such changes would have a material period-to-period impact on our financial position or results of operations.

 

During fiscal 2008, we determined that it was not more likely than not that substantially all of our deferred tax assets would be realized and, therefore, we established a valuation allowance of $400.6 million for substantially all of our deferred tax assets. We have not changed our assessment regarding the recoverability of our deferred tax assets as of September 30, 2010 and consequently, we determined that a valuation allowance was still warranted. As of September 30, 2010, our deferred tax valuation allowance was $403.8 million. Management reassesses the realizability of the deferred tax assets each reporting period. To the extent that our results of operations improve and deferred tax assets become realizable, the valuation allowance will be reduced and result in a non-cash tax benefit.

 

We experienced an “ownership change” as defined in Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code as of January 12, 2010. Section 382 contains rules that limit the ability of a company that undergoes an “ownership change” to utilize its net operating loss carryforward and certain built-in losses or deductions recognized during the five-year period after the ownership change. Therefore, our ability to utilize our pre-ownership change net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards and certain recognized built-in losses or deductions is limited by Section 382 to an estimated maximum annual amount of approximately $11.4 million ($4 million tax-effected).

 

There can be no assurance that another ownership change, as defined in the tax law, will not occur. If another “ownership change” occurs, a new annual limitation on the utilization of net operating losses would be determined as of that date.

 

Seasonal and Quarterly Variability

 

Our homebuilding operating cycle generally reflects escalating new order activity in the second and third fiscal quarters and increased closings in the third and fourth fiscal quarters. However, beginning in the second half of fiscal 2006 and continuing through fiscal 2010, we continued to experience challenging conditions in most of our markets which contributed to decreased revenues and closings as compared to prior periods including prior quarters, thereby reducing typical seasonal variations. In addition, the expiration of the $8,000 First time Homebuyer Tax Credit on June 30, 2010, appears to have incentivized certain homebuyers to purchase homes during the first half of fiscal 2010. This resulted in a change to our typical seasonal variations as we experienced increased closings in our third quarter as opposed to our fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. The following chart presents certain quarterly operating data for our continuing operations for our last twelve fiscal quarters.

 

 

 

RESULTS OF CONTINUING OPERATIONS:

 

 

Items impacting comparability between periods

 

The following items impact the comparability of our results of operations between fiscal periods 2010, 2009 and 2008: inventory impairments and abandonments, certain selling, general and administrative costs, goodwill impairment charges, joint venture impairment charges, and gain on extinguishment of debt. In addition, during fiscal 2010, we exited or discontinued our title services operations and our New Mexico and Jacksonville, Florida markets and have reclassified the operating results of these operations for all period presented to discontinued operations. We have also reclassified the operating results of our Raleigh market from the East to the Southeast segment in alignment with the basis that is used by management for evaluating segment performance and resource allocations.

 

Inventory Impairments and Abandonments.  The improvement in gross margin over the past two fiscal years was directly related to a reduction in non-cash pre-tax inventory impairments and option contract abandonments from $403.4 million in fiscal 2008 to $95.2 million in fiscal 2009 and $50.0 million in fiscal 2010. The projected cash flows used to evaluate the fair value of inventory are significantly impacted by changes in market conditions including decreased sales prices, the change in sales prices and changes in absorption estimates. The impairments

recorded on our held for development inventory for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, primarily resulted from the continued decline in the homebuilding environment across our submarkets. During fiscal 2010, although certain markets showed improvement from the prior years, for certain communities we determined it was prudent to reduce sales prices or further increase sales incentives in response to factors including competitive market conditions. In future periods, we may again determine that it is prudent to reduce sales prices, further increase sales incentives or reduce absorption rates which may lead to additional impairments, which could be material. Our impairments on land held for sale listed below are as a result of challenging market conditions and our review of recent comparable transactions since land held for sale is recorded at net realizable value, less estimated costs to sell. In addition, over the past few years, we have determined the proper course of action with respect to a number of communities within each homebuilding segment was to abandon the remaining lots under option and to write-off the deposits securing the option takedowns, as well as pre-acquisition costs. The abandonment charges below relate to our decision to abandon certain option contracts that no longer fit in our long-term strategic plan and related to our prior year decision to exit certain markets.

 

The following tables set forth, by reportable homebuilding segment, the inventory impairments and lot option abandonment charges recorded for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010, 2009 and 2008 (in thousands):

 

Inventory impairments related to continuing operations recorded on a quarterly basis during fiscal 2010, the estimated fair value of such impaired inventory at each period end, the number of lots and number of communities impaired in each period are set forth in the table below as follows ($ in thousands):