Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The accompanying consolidated financial statements (“financial statements”) and notes thereto included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). The accompanying financial statements include the accounts of Holdings and its consolidated subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. In the opinion of management, the accompanying financial statements reflect all normal and recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the results of its operations and comprehensive income, changes in its stockholders’ equity and its cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017. On January 1, 2019 the Company acquired all of the regional and pan-regional advertising fund entities previously owned by its founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, David Liniger, for a nominal amount. During 2018, the Company completed the acquisition of booj, and during 2017 the Company completed the acquisition of an independent region. Their results of operations, cash flows and financial positions are included in the financial statements from their respective dates of acquisition. See Note 6, Acquisitions Use of Estimates The preparation of the accompanying financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Reclassifications Certain items in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows have been reclassified in the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 to conform with the current year presentation. Segment Reporting The Company operates under the following segments: ● RE/MAX Franchising – comprises the operations of the Company’s owned and independent global franchising operations under the RE/MAX brand name and corporate-wide shared services expenses. ● Motto Franchising – comprises the operations of the Company’s mortgage broker franchising operations under the Motto Mortgage brand name and does not include any charges related to the corporate-wide shared services expenses. ● Marketing Funds – comprises the operations of the Company’s marketing campaigns designed to build and maintain brand awareness and the development and operation of agent marketing technology. ● Other – comprises the legacy operations of booj (see Note 6, Acquisitions for additional information), which, due to quantitative insignificance, do not meet the criteria of a reportable segment. See Note 18 Segment Information Principles of Consolidation Holdings consolidates RMCO and records a non-controlling interest in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and records net income attributable to the non-controlling interest and comprehensive income attributable to the non-controlling interest in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income and Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, respectively. Revenue Recognition The Company generates the substantial majority of its revenue from contracts with customers. The Company’s franchise agreements offer the following benefits to the franchisee: common use and promotion of RE/MAX and Motto trademarks; distinctive sales and promotional materials; access to technology; marketing tools and training; standardized supplies and other materials used in RE/MAX and Motto offices; and recommended procedures for operation of RE/MAX and Motto offices. The Company concluded that these benefits are highly related and all a part of one performance obligation for each franchise agreement, a license of symbolic intellectual property that is billed through a variety of fees including continuing franchise fees, annual dues, broker fees, marketing funds fees and franchise sales, described below. The Company has other performance obligations associated with contracts with customers in other revenue for training, marketing and events, and legacy booj customers. The method used to measure progress is over the passage of time for most streams of revenue. The following is a description of principal activities from which the Company generates its revenue. Continuing Franchise Fees Continuing franchise fees are fixed contractual fees paid monthly (a) by regional franchise owners in Independent Regions or franchisees in Company-owned Regions based on the number of RE/MAX agents in the respective franchised region or office or (b) by Motto franchisees based on the number of offices open. Motto offices reach the full monthly billing once the Motto office has been open for 12 to 14 months. This revenue is recognized in the month for which the fee is billed. This revenue is a usage-based royalty as it is dependent on the number of RE/MAX agents or number of Motto offices. Annual Dues Annual dues are a fixed membership fee paid annually by RE/MAX agents directly to the Company to be a part of the RE/MAX network and use the RE/MAX brand. Annual dues are a flat fee per agent. The Company defers the annual dues revenue when billed and recognizes the revenue ratably over the 12-month period to which it relates. Annual dues revenue is a usage-based royalty as it is dependent on the number of RE/MAX agents. The activity in the Company’s deferred revenue for annual dues is included in “Deferred revenue” and “Deferred revenue, net of current portion” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, and consists of the following in aggregate (in thousands): Balance at New billings Revenue recognized (a) Balance at end Year ended December 31, 2019 $ 15,877 $ 35,514 $ (35,409) $ 15,982 (a) Revenue recognized related to the beginning balance was $14.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. (b) Broker Fees Broker fees are assessed against real estate commissions paid by customers when a RE/MAX agent sells a home. Generally, the amount paid is 1% of the total commission on the transaction, although in Independent Regions in Canada it is not charged. Additionally, agents in Company-owned Regions existing prior to 2004, the year the Company began assessing broker fees, are generally “grandfathered” and continue to be exempt from paying a broker fee. As of December 31, 2019, grandfathered agents represented approximately 17% of total agents in U.S. Company-owned Regions. Revenue from broker fees is recognized as a sales-based royalty and recognized in the month when a home sale transaction occurs. Motto franchisees do not pay any fees based on the number or dollar value of loans brokered. Marketing Funds Fees Marketing Funds fees are fixed contractual fees paid monthly by franchisees based on the number of RE/MAX agents in the respective franchised region or office or the number of Motto offices. These revenues are obligated to be used for marketing campaigns to build brand awareness and to support agent marketing technology. Amounts received into the Marketing Funds are recognized as revenue in the month for which the fee is billed. This revenue is a usage-based royalty as it is dependent on the number of RE/MAX agents or number of Motto offices. All assets of the Marketing Funds are contractually restricted for the benefit of franchisees, and the Company recognizes an equal and offsetting liability on the Company’s balance sheet for all amounts received. Additionally, this results in recording an equal and offsetting amount of expenses against all revenues such that there is no impact to overall profitability of the Company from these revenues. Franchise Sales Franchise sales comprises revenue from the sale or renewal of franchises. A fee is charged upon a franchise sale or renewal. Those fees are deemed to be a part of the license of symbolic intellectual property and are recognized as revenue over the contractual term of the franchise agreement, which is typically 5 years for RE/MAX and 7 years for Motto franchise agreements. The activity in the Company’s franchise sales deferred revenue accounts consists of the following (in thousands): Balance at New billings Revenue recognized (a) Balance at end Year ended December 31, 2019 $ 27,560 $ 7,750 $ (9,426) $ 25,884 (a) Revenue recognized related to the beginning balance was $ 8.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Commissions Related to Franchise Sales Commissions paid on franchise sales are recognized as an asset and amortized over the contract life of the franchise agreement. The activity in the Company’s capitalized contract costs for commissions (which are included in “other current assets” and “other assets, net of current portion” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets) consist of the following (in thousands): Balance at Expense Additions to contract Balance at end beginning of period recognized cost for new activity of period Year ended December 31, 2019 $ 3,748 $ (1,290) $ 1,120 $ 3,578 Other Revenue Other revenue is primarily revenue from preferred marketing arrangements and event-based revenue from training and other programs. Revenue from preferred marketing arrangements involves both flat fees paid in advance as well as revenue sharing, both of which are generally recognized over the period of the arrangement and are recorded net as the Company does not control the good or service provided. Event-based revenue is recognized when the event occurs and until then amounts collected are included in “Deferred revenue”. Other revenue also includes revenue from booj’s legacy operations for its external customers as booj continues to provide technology products and services, such as websites, mobile apps, reporting and website tools, to its legacy customers and Disaggregated Revenue In the following table, segment revenue is disaggregated by geographical area (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2019 2018 2017 U.S. $ 164,867 $ 170,496 $ 160,538 Canada 23,024 23,771 23,189 Global 11,745 10,237 9,431 Total RE/MAX Franchising 199,636 204,504 193,158 U.S. 64,906 — — Canada 6,559 — — Global 834 — — Total Marketing Funds 72,299 — — Motto Franchising (a) 4,542 2,536 556 Other 5,816 5,586 — Total $ 282,293 212,626 193,714 (a) Revenue from the Motto Franchising segment is derived exclusively within the U.S. In the following table, segment revenue is disaggregated by Company-owned or Independent Regions in the U.S., Canada and Global (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2019 2018 2017 Company-owned Regions $ 128,972 $ 133,925 $ 125,092 Independent Regions 44,686 46,289 44,799 Global and Other 25,978 24,290 23,267 Total RE/MAX Franchising 199,636 204,504 193,158 Marketing Funds 72,299 — — Motto Franchising 4,542 2,536 556 Other 5,816 5,586 — Total $ 282,293 $ 212,626 $ 193,714 Transaction Price Allocated to the Remaining Performance Obligations The following table includes estimated revenue by year, excluding certain other immaterial items, expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) at the end of the reporting period (in thousands): 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Thereafter Total Annual dues $ 15,982 $ — $ — $ — $ — $ — $ 15,982 Franchise sales 7,141 5,801 4,368 2,881 1,589 4,104 25,884 Total $ 23,123 $ 5,801 $ 4,368 $ 2,881 $ 1,589 $ 4,104 $ 41,866 Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash All cash held by the Marketing Funds is contractually restricted. The following table reconciles the amounts presented for cash, both unrestricted and restricted, in the Consolidated Balance Sheets to the amounts presented in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands): As of December 31, 2019 2018 Cash and cash equivalents $ 83,001 $ 59,974 Restricted cash 20,600 — Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 103,601 $ 59,974 Services Provided to the Marketing Funds by RE/MAX Franchising RE/MAX Franchising charges the Marketing Funds for various services it performs. These services are primarily comprised of (a) providing agent marketing technology, including customer relationship management tools, the www.remax.com website, agent and office websites, and mobile apps, (b) dedicated employees focused on marketing campaigns, and (c) various administrative services including accounting and legal. Because these costs are ultimately paid by the Marketing Funds, they do not impact the net income of Holdings as the Marketing Funds have no reported net income. Costs charged from RE/MAX Franchising to the Marketing Funds are as follows (in thousands): Year Ended December 31, 2019 Technology development - operating $ 6,244 Technology development - capital 5,095 Marketing staff and administrative services (a) 3,763 Total $ 15,102 (a) Costs charged to the Marketing Funds for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, while the Marketing Funds were a related party, were $3.8 million and $3.4 million, respectively. Prior to January 1, 2019, the Marketing Funds were not owned by the Company (see Note 6 Acquisitions Selling, Operating and Administrative Expenses Selling, operating and administrative expenses primarily consist of personnel costs, including salaries, benefits, payroll taxes and other compensation expenses, professional fees, lease costs, as well as expenses for marketing to customers, to expand the Company’s franchises and outsourced technology services. Fair Value of Financial Instruments The carrying amounts of financial instruments, net of any allowances, including cash equivalents, accounts and notes receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. Accounts and Notes Receivable Accounts receivable arising from monthly billings do not bear interest. The Company provides limited financing of certain franchise sales through the issuance of notes receivable with the associated interest recorded in “Interest income” in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income. Amounts collected on notes receivable are included in “Net cash provided by operating activities” in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The Company records allowances against its accounts and notes receivable balances for estimated probable losses. Increases and decreases in the allowance for doubtful accounts are established based upon changes in the credit quality of receivables and are included as a component of “Selling, operating and administrative expenses” in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income. The allowance for doubtful accounts and notes is based on historical experience, general economic conditions, and the credit quality of specific accounts. The activity in the Company’s allowances against accounts and notes receivable consists of the following (in thousands): Balance at beginning of period Additions/charges to cost and expense for allowances for doubtful accounts (a) Deductions/write-offs Balance at end of period Year Ended December 31, 2019 $ 7,980 $ 4,964 $ (406) $ 12,538 Year Ended December 31, 2018 $ 7,223 $ 2,257 $ (1,500) $ 7,980 Year Ended December 31, 2017 $ 6,458 $ 1,109 $ (344) $ 7,223 (a) For the year ended December 31, 2019, $1.5 million of expense was attributable to the acquired Marketing Funds. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) and Foreign Currency Translation Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) includes all changes in equity during a period that have yet to be recognized in income, except those resulting from transactions with stockholders and is comprised of foreign currency translation adjustments. As of December 31, 2019, the Company, directly and through its franchisees, conducted operations in over 110 countries and territories, including the U.S. and Canada. The functional currency for the Company’s operations is the U.S. dollar, except for its Canadian subsidiary which is the Canadian Dollar. Assets and liabilities of the Canadian subsidiary are translated at the spot rate in effect at the applicable reporting date, and the consolidated statements of income and cash flows are translated at the average exchange rates in effect during the applicable period. Exchange rate fluctuations on translating consolidated foreign currency financial statements into U.S. dollars that result in unrealized gains or losses are referred to as translation adjustments. Cumulative translation adjustments are recorded as a component of “Accumulated other comprehensive income,” and periodic changes are included in comprehensive income. When the Company sells a part or all of its investment in a foreign entity resulting in the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity in which the subsidiary or group of assets had resided, it releases any related cumulative translation adjustment into net income. Foreign currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities and transactions occurring in currencies other than the Company’s or the Company’s consolidated foreign subsidiaries’ functional currencies are recorded based on exchange rates at the time such transactions arise. Changes in exchange rates with respect to amounts recorded in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets related to these non-functional currency transactions result in transaction gains and losses that are reflected in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income as “Foreign currency transaction (losses) gains.” Property and Equipment Property and equipment, including leasehold improvements, are initially recorded at cost. Depreciation is provided for on a straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of each asset class and commences when the property is placed in service. Amortization of leasehold improvements is provided for on a straight-line method over the estimated benefit period of the related assets or the lease term, if shorter. Franchise Agreements and Other Intangible Assets The Company’s franchise agreements result from franchise rights acquired from Independent Region acquisitions and are initially recorded at fair value. The Company amortizes the franchise agreements over their estimated useful life on a straight-line basis. The Company also purchases and develops software for internal use. Software development costs and upgrade and enhancement costs incurred during the application development stage that result in additional functionality are capitalized. Costs incurred during the preliminary project and post-implementation-operation stages are expensed as incurred. Capitalized software costs are generally amortized over a term of two to five years . Purchased software licenses are amortized over their estimated useful lives. In addition, the Company owns the principal trademarks, service marks and trade names that it uses in conjunction with operating its business. These intangible assets increase when the Company pays to file trademark applications in the U.S. and certain other jurisdictions globally. The Company’s trademarks are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. The Company reviews its franchise agreements and other intangible assets subject to amortization for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is assessed by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset group to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated from such asset. If not recoverable, the excess of the carrying amount of an asset over its estimated discounted cash flows would be charged to operations as an impairment loss. For each of the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, there were no material impairments indicated for such assets. Goodwill Goodwill is an asset representing the future economic benefits arising from the other assets acquired in a business combination that are not individually identified and separately recognized. The Company assesses goodwill for impairment at least annually at the reporting unit level or whenever an event occurs that would indicate impairment may have occurred. Reporting units are driven by the level at which segment management reviews operating results. The Company performs its required impairment testing annually on October 1. The Company’s impairment assessment begins with a qualitative assessment to determine if it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s fair value is less than the carrying amount. The initial qualitative assessment includes comparing the overall financial performance of the reporting units against the planned results as well as other factors which might indicate that the reporting unit’s value has declined since the last assessment date. If it is determined in the qualitative assessment that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, then the standard two-step quantitative impairment test is performed. The impairment test consists of comparing the estimated fair value of each reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. The fair value of a reporting unit is determined by forecasting results, such as franchise sales for Motto, and applying and assumed discount rate to determine fair value as of the test date. If the estimated fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying value, then it is not considered impaired and no further analysis is required. Goodwill impairment exists when the estimated implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill is less than its carrying value. The Company did not record any goodwill impairments during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 . Income Taxes The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Management periodically assesses the recoverability of its deferred tax assets based upon expected future earnings, future deductibility of the asset and changes in applicable tax laws and other factors. If management determines that it is not likely that the deferred tax asset will be fully recoverable in the future, a valuation allowance may be established for the difference between the asset balance and the amount expected to be recoverable in the future. The allowance will result in a charge to the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income. RMCO complies with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code that are applicable to limited liability companies that have elected to be treated as partnerships, which allow for the complete pass-through of taxable income or losses to RMCO’s unitholders, who are individually responsible for any federal tax consequences. The share of U.S. income allocable to Holdings results in a provision for income taxes for the federal and state taxes on that portion of income. The share of U.S. income allocable to RIHI does not result in a provision for income taxes for federal and state taxes given Holdings does not consolidate RIHI. RMCO is subject to certain global withholding taxes, which are ultimately allocated to both Holdings and RIHI since they are paid by RMCO. The Company recognizes the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. Equity-Based Compensation The Company recognizes compensation expense associated with equity-based compensation as a component of “Selling, operating and administrative expenses” in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income. All equity-based compensation is required to be measured at fair value on the grant date, is expensed over the requisite service, generally over a three-year period, and forfeitures are accounted for as they occur. The Company recognizes compensation expense on awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award. Refer to Note 13, Equity-Based Compensation for additional discussion regarding details of the Company’s equity-based compensation plans. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In February 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2018-02, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220), In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) expedients Leases, In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) New Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract, In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) |