Justin Long, actor and Mac spokesman, has listed his Hollywood Hills home for $1,495,000, according to Big Time listings. The Los Angeles home has two bedrooms and two baths. Other features include a salt water pool, outdoor living room, and media room. The sale even includes plans and permits for a second story addition.

Long reportedly bought the house at the end of last year for around $1,400,000. So he’s had it less than 9 months and the plans and permits are included. Sounds like he’s just trying to get rid of the place, and will probably not make much of a profit, if any.

Just a few notes about the home. The kitchen has a very industrial look, with lots of stainless steel and glass-front cabinets. Not too bad, and perfectly functional. Certainly there will be plenty of buyers whose tastes run along those lines.

The living room has large windows overlooking the back (and we assume, the pool). It has lots of light and a nice, long couch with ample seating room. The accent wall is a nice touch. Not a big fan of leaning pictures on the buffet, rather than hanging them, but that’s just us.

The outside has a lot of seating and entertaining space. Several seats around the pool area, including multiple lounge chairs, and a covered area that was probably the part listed as an outdoor living room.

And both bathrooms have flat, square sinks and modern hardware. In one, the water comes out through the mirror. We’re sure someone with tastes other than ours will love those features. We’re not big fans of square, shallow sinks. However, the large showers are a plus. The lack of a bath, as far as we can tell, would be a minus for us, as it’s pretty hard to wash a wiggly infant in a shower. The home has many amenities that are perfect for a single person or a couple, though.

It’s a nice home. The yard looks quite private, which is nice if you want to jump into the kidney-shaped pool au naturel.

Admittedly, besides Mr. Long’s Mac commercials and his association with Drew Barrymore, we really haven’t seen too much of his work. There will be ample opportunity to see more, as he has a LOT of projects in the hopper according to IMDB.

Actress Jenna Jameson has listed her Hollywood Hills home for $2,700,000. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths according to listing information.

The home boasts city views, a guest apartment, 5 patios/balconies and a 2-car garage. It does have a lot going for it with a master suite, 2 bonus rooms, a formal dining room, gourmet kitchen, and a sunken living room with fireplace.

The TV room is interesting, with a dark striped wallpaper that contrasts with beige rugs and cream furniture. Oh, and there’s a zebra print ottoman to go along. Really jumps out at you. It’s almost overwhelming and doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the house. But the structure of the room is nice.

The kitchen is large and has lots of cabinets. It certainly looks like those upper cabinets are pretty low, limiting the space between cabinet and countertop. But it definitely has a lot of storage - and at least they don’t look terribly outdated. Is that fridge built in? That’s certainly something you don’t see too often. And there’s a formal dining room with plenty of room for what looks like an 8-person table. Notice the window detail in the dining room. It would be even nicer if that theme was repeated throughout the entire house instead of just here and there.

We love the detail on the stairs up from the sunken living room and also up to the top floor. It’s the kind of detail you don’t see on newer homes, and it’s too bad. It adds such interest and character to a place. See that little sitting area at the top landing? Perfect book nook. Additionally, the exposed beam in the family and living rooms is nice, but I actually prefer all or nothing when it comes to the beams.

Actress Michelle Forbes has listed her Hollywood Dell 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home for sale at $1,150,000. The home is a secluded mid-century turnkey with the aforementioned beds, baths, and a bonus room according to the listing.

The home does feature some nice (but small) gardens, including a cute little bamboo fountain. It is definitely secluded though, with walls all around, gates at the front, and tall trees surrounding the property.

The living room features beamed vaulted ceilings with a nice fireplace at the end. The room reminds us a bit of a country church we knew growing up. Maybe a nice rug (a bit away from the fire, of course) could warm it up and give it a bit more definition? The bamboo floors are nice - you know how we love hardwood.

The kitchen is small, with white cabinets and walls throughout. The breakfast nook has a small table for two tucked under the window. We would knock out that center bar with the stovetop and expand the kitchen into the rest of the space, especially since there’s already a big dining room. However, someone who has been in the kitchen told us that it is quite lovely and the perfect size for the home.

The master bedroom also has a vaulted ceiling. And here, it works much better. The floor to ceiling windows let in a lot of light. And the doors open straight onto the patio. The room could do without that blinding white, though. The walls, the curtains, the couch, the bedspread. It’s a bit too much white for our tastes (our dislike of all white is well-documented). A nice throw over the bed would add just a splash of color. The other bedrooms seem to be of a decent size. One of the rooms has been used as a workout area.

We love the abundance of bookshelves, but think it’s a bit odd to have them in the dining room. That may just be us, but it seems like the room can’t decide if it’s a library or a place to eat. It also might be the best (or only) place to showcase the dramatic shelves, but it’s just not where we’d personally put them.

Overall it’s not a bad sort of house. We do like the spiral staircase, although personally we’d have to wait to navigate it after coffee. (Fortunately for that, the master suite is on the ground floor.)

It’s on a tiny lot, though, just 1/10 of an acre according to Mr. Big Time.

While we were reviewing Bob Costas’ recent sale, we also saw the Observer report that Natalie Portman is selling her West Village apartment for $6.65 million. (Mr. Big Time mentions it, too.)

The floor plan of Portman’s 2 (or 3) bedroom, 3 bath abode shows a balcony off of the great room, a dining room that can double as another bedroom, and two walk-in closets in the master bedroom. Looking at the pictures you’ll see a ton of windows, giving spectacular city views. The entire place looks bright and airy. We just love the dark wood floors. The kitchen could be a little bigger, but it opens up into the 28′ x 22′ great room, giving the appearance of much more space than a mere 9′ x 12′ (approx.).

The building features 24-hour concierge, a fitness center, professional screening room, and a 50′ infinity-edge lap pool, according to listing information. The all-glass residence was designed by Richard Meier.

Portman is probably best known for playing Queen Amidala in the “new” Star Wars episodes (yes, they will always be the new Star Wars to us). But her best role is still as Mathilda in The Professional. Amazing performance. She did quite well in V is for Vendetta also.

It would appear that the luxury real estate sector in Manhattan is propping up the rest of the New York market, which is showing signs of stress

Barron’s reported recently that:

Signs of cracks in Manhattan’s property market could mean the rest of the country is on the road to recovery, since New York tends to feel the effects of a slowing economy later than the nation does. One segment still in the stratosphere: luxury condos and co-ops in exclusive buildings.

Barron’s

Although some of the prices advertised recently seem a little unrealistic. A venture capitalist recently advertised his Tony 15 Central Park West apartment for $60 million more than he paid for it a month previously. I have been known to get it wrong on occasion though.

The Turkish Daily News, always a major source of information for those in the know, reports that “Apartment demand weakens in NYC.”

Manhattan apartments costing $1 million or less saw weaker demand as cutbacks by Wall Street firms meant few shoppers and an increase in the number of dwellings for sale.

Turkish Daily News

Which is good news for some and bad news for others of course. A recent press release by Bond New York announces the launch of a Luxury Boutique Condominium development in Greenpoint, Brooklyn states:

New York City apartment’s largest real estate agency launches sales for Greenpoint’s Newest Luxury Boutique Condominium -185 India Street - a six-story, elevator building developed by NYBridge and projected to be completed late spring 2008.

Bond New York Property Marketing Group, specializing in New York City apartments rentals and sales, is pleased to announce that sales have launched for 185 India Street, the newest boutique condominium in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Bond New York City Apartments

Developed by NYBridge, 185 India Street will feature eight one- and two-bedroom floor-through residences and a two bedroom duplex penthouse, each with large private balconies and/or roof decks. Many of the units offer magnificent Manhattan skyline views and are priced from $379,000 to $999,000. The six-story elevator building is projected to be completed late spring 2008.

Kitchens will feature Bosch appliances, granite countertops, shaker style wood grain cabinets, wood floors throughout, oversized double glazed windows, and stainless steel appliances. The elegant marbled bathrooms boast elevated Jacuzzi tubs and sleek wood vanities with modern glass sinks.

The two-bedroom duplex penthouse features double exposures and 17-foot ceilings. This incredible living space has three amazing outdoor spaces including a 500-square-foot private multi-level roof deck. A 270-square-foot private terrace, with a hot tub, is accessible from the master bedroom with a spiral staircase leading to a wonderful dressing and home office area.

185 India Street brings a unique intimate residential experience into Greenpoint’s vibrant historic area, one of the most desired residential destinations in Northern Brooklyn. Full of fantastic restaurants, cafes and wonderful shops, this classic condominium will provide the best of both worlds, big city living combined with small town charm.

For further information, please contact David Kazemi or visit www.bondnewyork.com.

Bond New York is the largest independently owned, fastest growing, real estate agency in New York City. Bond New York is a full-service, team-oriented, high-energy brokerage firm specializing in New York City Apartments sales and rentals with five offices city-wide and a staff of over 300 licensed New York City real estate agents.

Despite rising median prices, estimates recently are that most sub-million dollar properties in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, are selling for noticeably less than the original asking prices. A bargain in the offing perhaps?

Another eco-friendly real estate development in Costa Rica was announced recently. This is their press release. Although I am publishing this as-is, the last release from the same source we published on an Eco-Friendly Luxury Real Estate Development in Belize, came in for some considerable criticism from local inhabitants, claiming the development was anything but Eco-Friendly. Their photographs certainly make this one look attractive. Comments welcome.

Press release:

Limoncito in Punta Leona, Costa Rica Is at Home With Nature Featuring Spectacular Scenery, Exotic Wildlife and Pristine Beaches

Adjacent to the Only Four-Star (highest rank) Blue-Flag Rated Beach in Costa Rica, Butterfly Farm, and Canopy Zip-Line Tours, Resort Places an Emphasis on Environmental Preservation

Punta Leona, Costa Rica (May, 2008)-Limoncito, a new luxury 58-room condo-hotel, is set to establish a serene retreat in the middle of some of Costa Rica’s most spectacular natural attractions. The new resort will combine the uniqueness of a 30-year-old beach club infused with modern day luxuries built with environmental preservation in mind. More photos after the jump. More on Eco minded Luxury Real Estate Development in Costa Rica

A new book by Douglas Andrew titled Millionaire by Thirty shows the path how one can achieve financial freedom and become a millionaire by age 30.

Millionaire by 30 is subtitled The Quickest Path to Early Financial Independence and shows in detail how one can become a millionaire by entering the third decade of his or her life, in other words the thirty.

In the book description of Millionaire by Thirty the authors show the way how the younger generation, 100 million in USA between the ages of 16-30 can move from 401(K) and invest in real estate, stocks, budgeting more effectively, managing their finances better in order to become a millionaire by 30.

Most people know that there are 70 million Baby Boomers in America today….but what is less known is that there are approximately 100 million people in America between the ages of 16 and 30. This generation has just entered, or will soon be entering the work force. And they have no idea how to invest, save, or handle their money.

Young people today come out of school having had little or no formal education on the basics of money management. Many have large debts from student loans looming over their heads. And many feel confused and powerless when their pricey educations don’t translate into high paying jobs. They feel that their $30,000-$40,000 salary is too meager to bother with investing, and they constantly fear that there will be “too much month left at the end of their money.” More on Millionaire By Thirty - How to make a Million Dollars by Age 30