In reality this is only one piece of the puzzle.

I’m in the exploratory phase right now and will reach out with any questions!

I recommend getting a good CPA that is experienced in the real estate niche to help you put some of these puzzle pieces together. 

I don't know the timeline or to what extent, but these are the the puzzle pieces around which I have the most conviction. - Increasing population is increasing demand - Labor trends seem to indicate that a large percentage of the "jobs added" in the jobs report over the last few years are works who are new to this country. - A dramatic increase in the supply of willing workers usually results in a decrease in hourly wages. - A dramatic increase in the supply of folks needing a place to live usually results in increasing home prices and increased rents.

I also love the challenge of pitting my skills against the market and of negotiating the puzzle of a successful investment.

Estimating cost for streets and utilities is just a piece of the puzzle, and likely easier, although more expensive.

However, it's puzzling in the context of all the other tax-advantaged options that provide a parallel "foundation for real estate investing" offers, which is, ultimately, the stated purpose/title of this entire thread. 

Owing to the trend towards smaller,  more efficient appliances and LED lighting  electrical loads I think are somewhat less than they may have been per SF like in the 70's through 2000's when everybody had incandescent lighting and big tube TVs and refrigerators, dishwashers,  etc. that used 2 or 3x as much power as modern ones.I've had a couple turn-of-century units rewired to remove K&T and failed 'BX" (flexible steel sheathed  2 wire cable)  and agree with other posters the pricing isn't that bad as long as you can find an electrician that has some experience with that kind of work,   and sometimes it might be helpful to open up some cable routes ahead of time for them to use so they don't have to do the exploratory work.   

There's so many pieces to the puzzle.

The most important part of the puzzle is contractors.