SALEM, Ore. (CNN/Money) - Less than two weeks away from Election Day, political signs on front yards are in full bloom. Lined up, they make quite an impression -- suddenly, a neighborhood appears liberal, conservative or "politically diverse."

For some homebuyers, that is reason to give houses on the block a second look, or to just keep on driving.

"I recently worked with a client who refused to see a house because of the neighbors' political signs," said Dennis Colby, a real estate broker with John. L. Scott in Portland, Ore. "She said 'There's no sense... I don't like my neighbors already.'"

In New York's Hamptons, political signs demarcate Bush and Kerry territory, said Diane Saatchi, vice president of real estate sales for the Corcoran Group in the Hamptons.

And, yes, homebuyers do take note.

Some clients, not wanting to offend, react to the signs by asking, "What kind of a neighborhood is this?" Saatchi said. Others aren't shy about sharing their political views. "They'll say 'I don't want to live next to all of those Republicans."

Or, in the case of my Aunt Kath, next to all of those Democrats.

"If you get on a block and here are all these Kerry signs, and you don't believe in him, could you live there?" she paused. "I don't think I could."

Although no study has been done about whether political signs influence people's homebuying decisions, said Nathan Kelly, an assistant professor of political science at the University at Buffalo, it stands to reason that they would.

Homeowners in Bend, Ore. use cardboard to speak out against President Bush.

Political scientists know that people stereotype groups based on their political affiliations. "I think the same can be said of neighbors," said Kelly. "Once you find out what candidates they're supporting, you all of sudden learn certain things about them, or at least you think you do."

An unscientific survey of friends, family and acquaintances from both sides of the political aisle, supported this idea. When asked whether political signs would influence their homebuying decisions, most said yes.

It's important for neighbors to have common values, they said, and for the next couple of weeks at least, values and voting preferences seem to be one in the same.

A Hamptons, NY resident criticizes Senator John Kerry with homemade signs.

"When I see a lot of Kerry/Edwards signs, I think, 'This seems like a cool neighborhood; I could live here,'" said my friend, Rima, who describes herself as somewhat to very liberal. "I've actually surprised myself with the degree to which I [negatively] react to Bush/Cheney signs."

You would have to be pretty die-hard to let political signs influence you, my Aunt Kath added. "I'm pretty die hard."

Any other time of year, my friend and my aunt could live next door to each other and not care where the other stood politically. They might even share gardening tips.

The stock market has historically performed better under Democratic Presidents. Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at Standard and Poor's, talks about possible market performance under President Kerry. Play video (Real or Windows Media)

Now? I'd venture to say that the "huuuge" Bush/Cheney sign my aunt plans to put out right before the election would probably make Rima feel ill at ease, and likewise.

"If you go to the trouble of putting up a sign you've got to feel pretty strongly," said Peter, a real estate agent near Seattle who disagrees with his neighbors' views, as defined by their political signs.

It's made such a negative impression that Peter doesn't plan to stick around for the next election.

Those who don't want to move just settle their political differences the old-fashioned way -- by outdoing each other with more signs, bigger signs.

"I have never wanted to put up signs, but I feel I need to since his signs are right next door," said Elfe, referring to a neighbor who has "littered" his yard with political signs, including one endorsing a statewide ballot measure to ban gay marriage. "That really irritated me," she said.

In some parts of the country, national political signs aren't even that prevalent.

"In the 15 minutes I've been talking to you, I've driven through the suburbs and seen only three signs," said Ron Phipps, of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. "It's just not that common here."

The only time politics has ever been an issue with his clients, he said, was when the buyer, a political candidate, realized that his opponent's house was on the market. "He didn't want to see that house."

In areas where the supply of houses for sale is slim, meanwhile, buyers put on political blinders in the name of finding the right house, in the right location.

"Politics permeates everything here," said Lenn Harley, a broker with Homefinders in Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Everything, it seems, but real estate.

"The supply of houses on the market is so scarce," Harley said. "If the candidates themselves were standing in the yard, buyers would just knock them over and keep going to get in the house."