Goodwill and Other Intangibles (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) segment	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Number of segments | segment			2
Amortization expense	$ 6,200	$ 7,500	$ 19,900	$ 22,500
Intangible assets	30,849		$ 30,849		$ 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	6,200		$ 6,200
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	30,800		30,800		50,800
Intangible assets, accumulated amortization	$ (23,300)		$ (23,300)		$ (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