XML 54 R12.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.10.0.1

Note 5. Franchising and Marketing Activities Franchising and Marketing Activities (Notes) | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Dec. 31, 2018
Franchising and Marketing Activities [Abstract] |
Franchisors [Text Block] | FRANCHISING AND MARKETING ACTIVITIES Franchise fee revenue includes domestic initial franchise fees and international area development fees of $6 million, $8 million and $8 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The Company’s real estate franchisees may receive volume incentives on their royalty payments. Such annual incentives are based upon the amount of the franchisees commission income earned and paid to the Company during the calendar year. Each brand has several different annual incentive schedules currently in effect. Franchise fee revenue is recorded net of annual volume incentives provided to real estate franchisees of $52 million, $62 million and $56 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The Company’s wholly-owned real estate brokerage services segment, NRT, pays royalties to the Company’s franchise business; however, such amounts are eliminated in consolidation. NRT paid royalties to the Real Estate Franchise Services segment of $295 million, $299 million and $282 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Marketing fees are generally paid by the Company’s real estate franchisees and are generally calculated based on a specified percentage of gross closed commissions earned on real estate transactions, and may be subject to certain minimum and maximum payments. Brand marketing fund revenue was $86 million, $87 million and $83 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, which included marketing fees paid to the Real Estate Franchise Services segment from NRT of $11 million, $12 million and $11 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As provided for in the franchise agreements and generally at the Company’s discretion, all of these fees are to be expended for marketing purposes. The number of franchised and company owned offices in operation are as follows:
| (Unaudited) As of December 31,
| 2018 |  | 2017 |  | 2016
Franchised: |  |  |  |  |
Century 21® | 9,637 |  |  | 7,973 |  |  | 7,330 |
ERA® | 2,331 |  |  | 2,298 |  |  | 2,347 |
Coldwell Banker® | 2,380 |  |  | 2,330 |  |  | 2,289 |
Coldwell Banker Commercial® | 171 |  |  | 180 |  |  | 180 |
Sotheby’s International Realty® | 949 |  |  | 905 |  |  | 836 |
Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate | 362 |  |  | 353 |  |  | 332 |
Total Franchised | 15,830 |  |  | 14,039 |  |  | 13,314 |
Company Owned: |  |  |  |  |
Coldwell Banker® | 672 |  |  | 707 |  |  | 708 |
Sotheby’s International Realty® | 41 |  |  | 41 |  |  | 41 |
Corcoran®/Other | 42 |  |  | 41 |  |  | 40 |
Total Company Owned | 755 |  |  | 789 |  |  | 789 |
The number of franchised and company owned offices (in the aggregate) changed as follows:
| (Unaudited) For the Year Ended December 31,
| 2018 |  | 2017 |  | 2016
Franchised: |  |  |  |  |
Beginning balance | 14,039 |  |  | 13,314 |  |  | 12,771 |
Additions | 2,149 |  |  | 1,137 |  |  | 847 |
Terminations | (358 | ) |  | (412 | ) |  | (304 | )
Ending balance | 15,830 |  |  | 14,039 |  |  | 13,314 |
Company Owned: |  |  |  |  |
Beginning balance | 789 |  |  | 789 |  |  | 787 |
Additions | 8 |  |  | 20 |  |  | 38 |
Closures | (42 | ) |  | (20 | ) |  | (36 | )
Ending balance | 755 |  |  | 789 |  |  | 789 |
As of December 31, 2018, there were an insignificant number of franchise agreements that were executed for which offices are not yet operating. Additionally, as of December 31, 2018, there were an insignificant number of franchise agreements pending termination. In order to assist franchisees in converting to one of the Company’s brands or as an incentive to renew their franchise agreement, the Company may at its discretion, provide non-standard incentives, primarily in the form of conversion notes. Provided the franchisee meets certain minimum annual revenue thresholds during the term of the notes and is in compliance with the terms of the franchise agreement, the amount of the note is forgiven annually in equal ratable amounts generally over the life of the franchise agreement. Otherwise, related principal is due and payable to the Company. The amount of such franchisee conversion notes were $131 million and $124 million, at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. These notes are principally classified within other non-current assets in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company recorded a contra-revenue in the statement of operations related to the forgiveness and impairment of these notes and other sales incentives of $29 million, $25 million and $24 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

X
- Definition Franchising and Marketing Activities [Abstract] + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | rlgy_FranchisingAndMarketingActivitiesAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | rlgy_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The entire disclosure for franchisors. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 952 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2123880 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_FranchisorsTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration