Segment information (Details)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) segment	Sep. 30, 2014 USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments | segment			2
Consolidated revenue	$ 45,110,000	$ 44,240,000	$ 133,594,000	$ 128,419,000
Intersegment Eliminations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated revenue	361,000	485,000	1,154,000	1,369,000
Real Estate Franchise Services
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated revenue	42,221,000	40,456,000	124,197,000	118,254,000
Brokerages
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Consolidated revenue	$ 2,889,000	$ 3,784,000	$ 9,397,000	$ 10,165,000