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The Arizona Court of Appeals has upheld the right of a homeowner to put up a for sale sign, despite a homeowner's association ban.

The ruling comes in the case of Robert and Cecilia Hawk, who bought a lot in a planned community in Flagstaff in 2009. When they wanted to sell it two years later, they put up a for sale sign, triggering a fight with the property owner's association. The couple cited a state law voiding rules that ban outdoor signs. The Court of Appeals ruled the homeowners rights trump that of their neighbors, a decision supported by the Arizona Association of Realtors' Michelle Lind.

“For sale signs are one of the most valuable, cost-effective methods to communicate property's for sale, both for sellers who want to sell their property and want to put a for sale sign on their property, and for buyers trying to locate property,” Lind said.

Lind, whose group supported the Hawks in their suit, says many buyers first decide on a neighborhood, then cruise the area looking for what's available, making a for sale sign a key trigger in many home sales.