Segment information (Details)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2014 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($) segment	Jun. 30, 2014 USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments | segment			2
Consolidated revenue	$ 44,277,000	$ 42,299,000	$ 88,484,000	$ 84,179,000
Intersegment Eliminations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated revenue	361,000	463,000	793,000	885,000
Real Estate Franchise Services
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated revenue	41,236,000	38,699,000	81,976,000	77,798,000
Brokerages
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated revenue	$ 3,041,000	$ 3,600,000	$ 6,508,000	$ 6,381,000