A stud finder is completely non-intrusive and will give you a good idea of how the wall is built. Run it horizontally back and forth at several different heights to map where the studs are, then run it vertically within your newly-found stud cavities to see if there's any lumber going between the studs.
You can guess at where the wiring might be by looking at electrical fixtures on either side of the wall. If you can, look at the base of the wall from your basement or crawlspace, and at the top from the attic, which might give you some more information. If the builder installed protective plates where the wires feed through the studs, a magnet will let you know. Some stud finders also include a detector for AC that will help you trace any electric wiring in the wall, or you can get a standalone detector.
In my experience, plumbing is usually run directly to where it's needed, so if there are no pipes in the basement/crawlspace, or vents going up to the attic and out your roof, there are probably no pipes in the wall either.
Once you've found a safe spot to open the wall, a boroscope or inspection mirror will let you look inside the cavity. A boroscope will be less intrusive, but an inspection mirror is a lot cheaper.