I see DHCR allows for amendments for previous years but curious if anyone's been successful doing so and how far back can one go? 

I'm not an expert on the loan part of your question, but as far as the permit status goes, I do have ample experience.

It’s now mid-November.After double-digit requests through phone/voicemail to almost every phone number option in the menu, emails, messages onto their web site, Facebook messages and comments, I had to initiate a chargeback. 

As an owner builder, I built 3 ADUs and 1 JADU (subbed out the structure build and I did all the finish work).

How do we return the deposit?

It depends on what your debt-to-income ratio is and what you can qualify for.

You have to explain it to the listing agent who doesn't get it, who then sends that to the seller, by telling them it's not that you have no money, but this is a right afforded to you based on your service to the country and you can also show proof of funds that you have money, but are choosing not to use it as a downpayment because you want to do reno with it.I would use your VA, that's what it's there for.

I had a similar nightmare when my account got hacked, and it took forever to get it back.

You can not do it if you don't know the numbers yourself.

In order to benefit from a 1031 exchange to defer my taxes will I need to convert my primary residence into a rental property and if I do, what's the minimum amount of time that I need in order to hold it as a rental to make sure it qualifies for a 1031 exchange?