It’s close to the end of the line for Riverside’s daylight savings time. Come Sunday, when our digital clocks are poised to click over to 2 am, they should automatically duck back to 1, returning the 60 minutes we donated last spring. (Well, all the smarter clocks will do that—our Riverside neighbors will have to make the adjustment manually on duller-witted timepieces).
The daylight savings time adjustment has its boosters and detractors; but, speaking for Riverside’s real estate community, we’re definitely in favor of saving as much light as possible! The reasons are many, both aesthetic and scientific.
First, there’s the effect of light on potential home buyers. ScienceDaily offers one study that explains “its powerful effects on the brain.” These include non-visual functions having to do with synchronizing our biological clocks. Light conveys a powerful stimulating signal for human alertness. Research is underway to see if those effects can be maximized.
Experienced Riverside real estate professionals don’t have to be told about the importance of light when it comes to showing properties and conducting open houses. Just about every checklist ever published lists the importance of throwing open the draperies, switching on the lamps and overhead fixtures to brighten as many rooms as possible. Such common-sense preparations are based on something Realtors® agree upon: bright surroundings produce positive, cheerful atmospheres. Not all prospective buyers may be looking for a light and bright home environment, but the lion’s share does seem to welcome well-lit rooms and hallways.
Once the value of light is acknowledged, another area that is being explored deals with the subtle effects of the color of light on how people feel. The Journal of Neuroscience has a number of studies advancing “the understanding of health effects of different light colors” so that “you can design your home or office in a manner that promotes positivity and wellbeing.”
At any rate, I’m all for continuing the daylight savings clock-tinkering rituals as long as they do what they were devised to do: extend summer evenings’ daylight hours. From Sunday until next spring, Riverside’s Realtors will adjust our showing and open house hours accordingly. For details on those, or any other Riverside real estate matters, give me a call!
