Is Loopnet a good source to find a good deal?  

Thanks everyone for your input, especially on good info for beginners, my grandpa has accidentally made money on a few real estate deals but this is the first time any of us have looked into REI as s source of additional income.

What if one uses non-conventional sources of money?

He might be a good source to ask questions of, but he would need more specific information I think to help you much.

It's not a revenue source for us.  

How do I go about choosing the right city and what data sources do I take advantage of in making this decisions?

Flippers and rehabbers get a stable source of funding that can scale (in theory) infinitely as they grow, and investors get a chance to earn stable, decently high returns - with limited downside in the case of well-collateralized land or development projects.Just my observations of the industry so far.

Local properties have land but solely for farming purposes...so getting a proper gauge for pricing will be a bit difficult.

I am not aware of it being confidential unless you have agreed to those terms....maybe a pm can chime in...But a clever person may be able to get your name and contact info through an assessor database or other public source ..As to your question, I find tenants that leave owing you money tend to have just the opposite reaction (more flight than fight)..

It's an awesome source of information and for connecting with others.