Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation—The condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Certain information and disclosures normally included in consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted. Accordingly, these condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes for the year ended December 31, 2016 included in our final prospectus dated July 28, 2017, filed with the SEC on July 28, 2017 pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Prospectus"). The Company had no components of other comprehensive income (loss) during any of the years presented, as such, a consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss) is not presented. All amounts are presented in thousands, except share and per share data.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation—The unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements include the accounts of Redfin and its wholly owned subsidiaries. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates—The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements, in conformity with GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and results of operations during the respective periods. Management’s more significant estimates include, but are not limited to, valuation of deferred income taxes, stock-based compensation, fair value of common stock and redeemable convertible preferred stock, capitalization of website development costs, recoverability of intangible assets with finite lives, and the fair value of reporting units for purposes of evaluating goodwill for impairment. Management bases its estimates on historical experience, and on various other market-specific relevant assumptions that management believes to be reasonable, under the circumstances. The amounts ultimately realized from the affected assets or ultimately recognized as liabilities will depend on, among other factors, general business conditions and could differ materially in the near term from the carrying amounts reflected in the consolidated financial statements.

Recently Adopted and Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements—In January 2017, the Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) issued guidance simplifying the test for goodwill impairment. Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test is no longer required, instead requiring an entity to recognize a goodwill impairment charge for the amount by which the goodwill carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. This guidance is effective for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. This guidance must be applied on a prospective basis. The Company adopted this guidance for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company performs its goodwill assessment annually on October 1 of each year or as events merit. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to impact the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In March 2016, the FASB issued guidance on several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, impact of forfeitures, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities and classification on the statement of cash flows. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2017 using the modified retrospective approach through a cumulative-effect adjustment of $552 to beginning accumulated deficit, and the Company elected to account for forfeitures as they occur beginning on January 1, 2017. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In November 2015, the FASB issued guidance on the balance sheet classification of deferred taxes. This standard requires that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and early adoption is permitted. The Company has prospectively adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2016. The adoption of this guidance had no effect on the Company’s financial position.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements—In November 2016, the FASB issued guidance on the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash on the statement of cash flows. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this guidance requires a retrospective transition method to each period presented. The Company plans to adopt this guidance on October 1, 2017, using the early permitted period. Upon adoption, the Company will reclassify restricted cash from operating activities to the change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. Additionally, other payables, related to cash held in escrow on behalf of customers, will be reclassified from operating activities to financing activities. In the Company’s capacity as fiduciary, the cash receipt is a function of providing the customer with a service (title). Therefore, the escrow funds payable are akin to a repayment of debt within financing activities, whereby the Company in it’s role as fiduciary is temporarily holding cash in its restricted accounts on behalf of it’s customers and subsequently releases the cash to settle the customers contractual obligation. These reclassifications will maintain an accurate reflection of the Company's cash flows from operating activities.

In August 2016, the FASB issued guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments in the statement of cash flows. This new standard will make eight targeted changes to how cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, which means that it will be effective for the Company in its fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018. The new standard will require adoption on a retrospective basis unless it is impracticable to apply, in which case the Company would be required to apply the amendments prospectively as of the earliest date practicable. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s statement of cash flows.

In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance on leases. This standard requires the recognition of a right-of-use asset and lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases. This standard also requires more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and should be applied through a modified retrospective transition approach for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, and early adoption is permitted. The Company expects to adopt this guidance on January 1, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of the adoption of this guidance, and believes that it will have a significant effect on its financial position.

In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance on revenue recognition. This guidance provides that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This guidance also requires more detailed disclosures to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The Company will adopt this guidance on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective adoption methodology. Both real estate and other revenue contain single performance obligations and the Company believes the timing of the satisfaction of the performance obligations, triggering the recognition of revenue, will not differ from the Company's current timing for recognizing revenue.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accrued revenue, restricted cash, accounts payable, certain accrued liabilities, and redeemable convertible preferred stock. The fair value of the Company’s financial instruments approximates their recorded values due to their short period to maturity. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or an exit price paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The current accounting guidance for fair value measurements defines a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosures as follows:

Level I—Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level II—Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level I that are observable, unadjusted quoted prices in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level III—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity, requiring the Company to develop its own assumptions.

The categorization of a financial instrument within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s financial instruments consist of Level I and Level II assets and liabilities. Level I assets include highly liquid money market funds that are included in cash and cash equivalents and Level II assets include certificates of deposit that are included as short-term investments, interest rate lock commitments ("IRLCs") and forward sales commitments, included in other current assets and other current liabilities. The certificates of deposit are measured by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Interest rate lock commitments and forward sales commitments are measured by observable marketplace prices. The Company’s redeemable convertible preferred stock was categorized as Level III. Redeemable convertible preferred stock was valued at each reporting date, through March 31, 2017, based on unobservable inputs and management’s judgment due to the absence of quoted market prices, inherent lack of liquidity and the long-term nature of such financial instruments. For further description of the valuation methodology of the redeemable convertible preferred stock, please see Note 2 to the Company's consolidated financial statements in the Prospectus.

Changes in the fair value of redeemable convertible preferred stock were recognized as accretion expense (income) and included as an adjustment to net loss to arrive at net income (loss) attributable to common stock on the condensed consolidated statements of operations. Summary of changes in fair value are reflected in the condensed consolidated balance sheets, condensed consolidated statements of changes in redeemable convertible preferred stock and stockholders' deficit, and Note 6. The Company used the value of the common stock at the IPO price of $15.00 per share to determine the accretion amount for the three months ended September 30, 2017.