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Tens of thousands of homeowners who bought during the housing boom face another four years of being trapped in negative equity.

People who purchased a property in England at the peak of the market in 2007 paid an average price of £216,800. But they have been warned they will have to wait until 2014 – when average prices are predicted to hit £226,900 - before they recover what they paid for their home seven years earlier, according to the research published by the National Housing Federation.

Chinese buyers are anticipated to replace Russian investors as major players in the prime central London market as the number of super-wealthy individuals continues to grow rapidly in the country, new research from CB Richard Ellis revealed.

Buyers with foreign currency are still enjoying attractive discounts on prime central London property as Sterling continues to remain weak.

Housing market transactions have increased for the second consecutive month, rising by 11% in July from 64,915 in June to an estimated 72,100 in July.

According to the July LSL Property Services/Acadametrics House Price Index transaction activity has doubled since January.

House prices have also registered their first rise in five months, rising by 0.1% in July. Average prices over the last three months have remained largely stable.

The housing market experienced one of its strongest months of the year so far in July, according to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).

The NAEA’s monthly market report found that demand for housing had increased, more sellers were putting property onto the market and the average agent made more sales than in June.

Estate Agents have this week flagged the encouraging growth of the South West’s property market.

The region’s property market continues to perform well in 2010 despite prices elsewhere in the country remaining static according to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).

Northern towns are increasingly out of favour as residents move away, according to the latest Quarterly Migration Monitor from reallymoving.com.

The research, which looks at migration patterns and prevailing trends among home movers around the UK, also found that Truro in the South West was most popular - recording the largest influx.

Demand for residential properties in London's West End is so strong in both sales and lettings that vendors want to put their properties on both markets, according to specialist estate agency LDG.

Partner Ben Everest said: "People who own property in London’s West End have recently benefited from good capital appreciation, and so they find themselves in a very secure position; despite the latest reports that property values on the whole are in decline, prices in the West End are holding firm and the demand for rental property remains consistent.

More than half a million people could be added to housing waiting lists – and 283,000 construction industry jobs lost or not created – if the Government slashes the affordable housebuilding budget by 40%.

The National Housing Federation has warned that ministers - who are looking at making cuts to departmental budgets of up to 40% - risked shutting the door on an entire generation of families on lower incomes by withdrawing billions of pounds worth of funding for affordable housing schemes.

Prices are continuing to rise in the UK’s Prime property markets, but at a more measured pace as vendors and buyers heed suggestions that the country’s economic growth may be at risk once again, according to Primelocation.com.

The Primelocation.com Prime Index shows that the average price of a UK property increased by 0.3% in July, taking the value to £458,413.

Housing market transactions rose by 20% in June, from 52,975 in May to an estimated 63,500 in June.

While still down on the long-term national average, this increase in sold properties sharply reverses the drop in transactions last month.

House prices continued to fall in June, down 0.5% on May levels. This is mainly a result of sellers finally coming to terms with buyer demand for greater price discounts. The good news is that the oversupply in the market, prevalent last month, is now reducing.