I believe that there is no substitution for doing deals on your own when it comes to learning.

As a substitute for having an escrow account, the landlord may post a bond with the superior court clerk of the county in which the rental property is located. 

Portable heaters CANNOT be used as a substitute or suppliment in order to meet the code.Sorry, replace the heat systems before purchase/rental.

It substitutes for experience.You may find that real estate sucks. 

For 2-4 units you need 6 months worth of PITI in reserves and need landlord experience or you can substitute the experience by hiring a PM for the first year.

Find a buyer who buys your size-Buyers don’t buy everywhere – Search for buyers who buy properties in your market-Filter buyers by deal count to find the pros in your areaPrivate Lenders List:-Search for lenders where you buy-Find professional lenders by filtering out the ones who have only done a few deals-Set the minimum and maximum amounts to see lenders who do deals around your sizeDrive for dollars:-Instant skip trace-Easy postcardsWebsite:-Websites Take Only Minutes To Get Started by Filling Out a Quick Questionaire-Each New Site Comes With Preset Content That Is Industry Related and Built to Capture Leads(This content can be changed anytime)-Lead Capture Tools Are Automatically Integrated Into Your New Site From Launch-You Get a Domain Name Included With Your New WebsitePull data from the recorder's office in several major markets:-Affidavit of Heirship-Appoint of Substitute Trustee-Probate-ForeclosurePull 5,000 lines of data a day for lead list I believe it uses list source just without all the fancy parameters.

There is no substitute for being there.  

There is no substitute for not seeing these in person.

I think we can all agree that the radio show is an infomercial and offers very little substancePersonally, I believe there is NO substitute for experience and " going through the muck" as you say breeds a better level of understanding and success.  

No substitute for hard work.