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, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Numerator
Net income attributable to RE/MAX Holdings, Inc.	$ (3,461)	$ 3,835	$ 7,529	$ 4,912	$ 3,857	$ 6,786	$ 6,814	$ 4,939	$ 12,815	$ 22,396	$ 16,412
Denominator for basic net income per share of common stock
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding	17,696,991	17,696,991	17,696,842	17,662,842	17,647,930	17,645,696	17,636,590	17,584,351	17,688,533	17,628,741	12,671,051
Denominator for diluted net income per share of common stock
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding	17,696,991	17,696,991	17,696,842	17,662,842	17,647,930	17,645,696	17,636,590	17,584,351	17,688,533	17,628,741	12,671,051
Add dilutive effect of the following:
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding, diluted	17,747,744	17,737,786	17,723,802	17,716,013	17,706,070	17,691,641	17,668,995	17,638,667	17,731,800	17,677,768	12,829,214
Net income attributable to RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. per share of Class A common stock
Anti-dilutive shares									0	0	0
Basic	$ (0.20)	$ 0.22	$ 0.43	$ 0.28	$ 0.22	$ 0.38	$ 0.39	$ 0.28	$ 0.72	$ 1.27	$ 1.30
Diluted	$ (0.20)	$ 0.22	$ 0.42	$ 0.28	$ 0.22	$ 0.38	$ 0.39	$ 0.28	$ 0.72	$ 1.27	$ 1.28
Common Class A
Denominator for basic net income per share of common stock
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding									17,688,533	17,628,741	12,671,051
Denominator for diluted net income per share of common stock
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding									17,688,533	17,628,741	12,671,051
Add dilutive effect of the following:
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding, diluted									17,731,800	17,677,768	12,829,214
Net income attributable to RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. per share of Class A common stock
Basic									$ 0.72	$ 1.27	$ 1.30
Diluted									$ 0.72	$ 1.27	$ 1.28
Common Class B
Share Outstanding Abstract
Common stock, shares outstanding	1								1
Employee Stock Option | Common Class A
Add dilutive effect of the following:
Dilutive effect										5,059	130,001
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) | Common Class A
Add dilutive effect of the following:
Dilutive effect									43,267	43,968	28,162