I would upgrade the design by adding a peninsula since it looks like the space might permit it.

I already submitted the permit but haven't heard from the office yet.

On top of that, finding a licensed electrician, who could do the work in a timely matter with permits, is also not so easy to find in a time crunch. 

Everything appears to have been repaired but now need to find permits, etc. to make sure it was done properly.

I had a similar experience where a contractor stated they were licensed but they wanted to avoid pulling permits as it took too long.

Phi Tran is also giving you good advise about getting site visits (aka inspections) but no one will even let you apply for permits, much less grant them, until AFTER you purchase. 

Try to avoid doing anything else that requires permits....in other words, paint, flooring, cabinets...are all fine.Or is it too late for that?

When people say I am going to do the renovations myself, they usually mean doing everything without proper permits and then they get screwed when they go to sell.If you can find a house hack where the side you will live in needs cosmetic, direct replacement (no permits) work, that would be ideal because you can do both by living in and soft-flipping your side while getting income on the other.

Depends on the 1st step, need to work with the city for the appropriate permits Can you folks - please add/comment more on this.

The sewer company tells me that it's covered however, they need to file for a permit to dig through the NYC DEP (manages the water and sewer lines) on Monday morning, citing that it may take several days.