Earnings Per Share and Dividends - Reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used in basic and diluted EPS calculations (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Numerator
Net income attributable to RE/MAX Holdings, Inc.	$ 3,925	$ 6,911	$ 6,961	$ 4,940	$ 4,046	$ 4,797	$ 4,970	$ 2,751	$ 22,737	$ 16,655	$ 13,436
Denominator for basic net income per share of Class A common stock
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding	17,647,930	17,645,696	17,636,590	17,584,351	14,283,839	12,333,690	12,225,678	11,817,605	17,628,741	12,671,051	11,611,164
Denominator for diluted net income per share of Class A common stock
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding	17,647,930	17,645,696	17,636,590	17,584,351	14,283,839	12,333,690	12,225,678	11,817,605	17,628,741	12,671,051	11,611,164
Add dilutive effect of the following:
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding, diluted	17,706,070	17,691,641	17,668,995	17,638,667	14,351,911	12,420,748	12,399,527	12,293,505	17,677,768	12,829,214	12,241,977
Net income attributable to RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. per share of Class A common stock
Basic	$ 0.22	$ 0.39	$ 0.39	$ 0.28	$ 0.28	$ 0.39	$ 0.41	$ 0.23	$ 1.29	$ 1.31	$ 1.16
Diluted	$ 0.22	$ 0.39	$ 0.39	$ 0.28	$ 0.28	$ 0.39	$ 0.40	$ 0.22	$ 1.29	$ 1.30	$ 1.10
Employee Stock Option
Add dilutive effect of the following:
Dilutive effect									5,059	130,001	578,888
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Add dilutive effect of the following:
Dilutive effect									43,968	28,162	51,925