Goodwill and Other Intangibles (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016 USD ($) segment	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of segments | segment			2
Amortization expense	$ 6,200	$ 7,500	$ 13,700	$ 15,000
Intangible assets	37,088		$ 37,088		$ 50,779
Cole REITs [Member] | Management And Advisory Contracts [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Estimated useful life			4 years
Estimated amortization expense for remainder of 2016	12,500		$ 12,500
Estimated amortization expense for 2017	16,600		16,600
Estimated amortization expense for 2018	4,000		4,000
Estimated amortization expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2019	3,800		3,800
Intangible assets	37,100		37,100		50,800
Intangible assets, accumulated amortization	$ (17,100)		$ (17,100)		$ (3,400)
REI Segment [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of segments | segment			1
Cole Capital Segment [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of segments | segment			1