2.	Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Policies

The complete list of the Company’s accounting policies is included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 1, 2019 with the SEC. The following are updated or new accounting policies.

Leases

The Company utilizes operating leases for all its facilities and autos. The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Right-of-use assets (“ROU assets”) represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent the Company’s contractual obligation to make lease payments under the lease. Operating leases are included in operating lease ROU assets, non-current, and operating lease liabilities current and non-current captions in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized on the commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. Lease agreements may contain periods of free rent or reduced rent, predetermined fixed increases in the minimum rent and renewal or termination options, all impacting the determination of the lease term and lease payments to be used in calculating the lease liability. The Company uses the implicit rate in the lease when determinable. As most of the Company’s leases do not have a determinable implicit rate, the Company uses a derived incremental borrowing rate based on borrowing options under its credit agreement. The Company applies a spread over treasury rates for the indicated term of the lease based on the information available on the commencement date of the lease. The Company typically leases general purpose built-out office space, which reverts to the lessor upon termination of the lease. Any payments for completed improvements, determined to be owed by the lessor, net of incentives received, are considered initial direct costs, which are recorded as an increase to the ROU asset and considered in the determination of the lease cost.

The Company has lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which are accounted for as a single lease component. Lease cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Variable lease payments consist of common area costs, insurance, taxes, utilities, parking and other lease related costs, which are determined principally based on billings from landlords.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk principally consist of cash and cash equivalents due from independent contractors (included under other assets, net current and other assets non-current), investments in marketable securities, available-for-sale, security deposits (included under other assets, non-current) and commissions receivable. Cash and cash equivalents are placed with high-credit quality financial institutions and invested in high-credit quality money market funds and commercial paper. Concentrations of marketable securities, available-for-sale are limited by the approved investment policy.

To reduce its credit risk, the Company monitors the credit standing of the financial institutions and money market funds that represent amounts recorded as cash and cash equivalents. The Company historically has not experienced any significant losses related to cash and cash equivalents.

The Company derives its revenues from a broad range of real estate investors, owners, and users in the United States and Canada, none of which individually represents a significant concentration of credit risk. The Company requires collateral on a case-by-case basis. The Company maintains allowances, as needed, for estimated credit losses based on management’s assessment of the likelihood of collection. For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, no transaction represented 10% or more of total revenues. Further, while one or more transactions may represent 10% or more of commissions receivable at any reporting date, amounts due are typically collected within 10 days of settlement and, therefore, do not expose the Company to significant credit risk.

During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company’s Canadian operations represented less than 1% of total revenues.

During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, no office represented 10% or more of total revenues.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Adopted

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases, to increase transparency and comparability by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. The Company adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2019, which resulted in the recognition of ROU assets and lease liabilities for operating leases. Upon adoption, the Company, in determining ROU assets, also considered currently recorded amounts related to differences in straight line lease expense and cash lease payments and prepaid rent. ROU assets and operating lease obligations in connection with adoption of the new lease standard were $76.7 million. At adoption date, the Company reclassified deferred rent in the amount of $5.6 million (the noncurrent portion was included in defered rent and other liabilities, and the current portion was included in accounts payable and other liabilities in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets) and prepaid rent in the amount of $13.4 million to ROU assets. The Company also reclassified prepaid rent in the amount of $462,000 to other assets, current.

The adoption of the new standard had a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet, but did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of net and comprehensive income.

The Company elected available practical expedients permitted under the guidance, which among other items, allow the Company to (i) carry forward its historical lease classification, (ii) not reassess leases for the definition of “lease” under the new standard, (iii) utilize a discount rate as of the effective date and (iv) not record leases that expired or were terminated prior to the effective date.

The Company made an accounting policy election to account for lease and non-lease components as a single lease component.

The Company implemented internal controls and key system functionality to enable the preparation of the required financial information.

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-08, Receivables – Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20): Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities (“ASU 2017-08”). The Company adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2019. ASU 2017-08 shortens the amortization period of a callable security that was acquired at a premium to the earliest call date of that security instead of the contractual life of the security. The adoption of ASU 2017-08 did not have a material effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

Pending Adoption

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and early adoption is permitted. For the Company, the new standard will be effective on January 1, 2020. Under ASU 2016-13, the Company will be required to use an expected-loss model for its marketable securities, available-for sale, which requires that credit losses be presented as an allowance rather than as an impairment write-down. Reversals of credit losses (in situations in which the estimate of credit losses declines) is permitted in the reporting period that the change occurs. Current U.S. GAAP prohibits reflecting reversals of credit losses in current period earnings. At March 31, 2019, the Company had $196.1 million in marketable securities, available for sale which would be subject to this new standard. As of March 31, 2019, these marketable securities, available for sale have an average credit rating of AA+ and no impairment write-downs have been recorded. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its investment policy and investments and does not expect the standard to have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements at adoption or in subsequent periods. The Company does plan to early adopt ASU 2016-13.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (“ASU 2018-13”). ASU 2018-13 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and early adoption is permitted. For the Company, the new standard will be effective on January 1, 2020. ASU 2018-13 modifies prior disclosure requirements for fair value measurement. ASU 2018-13 removes certain disclosure requirements related to the fair value hierarchy, such as removing the requirement to disclose the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2, modifies existing disclosure requirements related to measurement uncertainty and adds new disclosure requirements, such as disclosing the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurement. As of March 31, 2019, the Company had contingent consideration liability of $2.9 million measured as Level 3. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard and does not expect ASU 2018-13 to have a material effect on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) - Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract (“ASU 2018-15”). ASU 2018-15 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and early adoption is permitted. For the Company, the new standard will be effective on January 1, 2020. ASU 2018-15 aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal use software license), by requiring a customer in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract to capitalize certain implementation costs as if the arrangement was aninternal-use software project. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard and does not expect ASU 2018-15 to have a material effect on its condensed consolidated financial statements.