This is akin to a mutual fund being managed by a person who had 3 months experience investing in two stocks. 2.

And because the stock price went up.

You would have been living rent-free and hopefully investing all of those savings into the stock market anyway so you're way ahead financially.On the flip side if the market stays stable or appreciates then you can decide if you want to go ahead and cash the seller out, put your savings into the property and have a much smaller mortgage than if you bought it conventionally today.That's one of the nice things about Options. 

Are the distributions taxed like capital gains from the stock market??

To put this in perspective look up "the" dividend king-of-kings, a little stock called "O".

It’s for someone who wants to give up and get as close to stocks as possible.

It doesn’t need to be a choice between real estate and the stock market—you can diversify and do both.

I do not want to touch retirement saving of about 2 million in stocks. 

I am in a similar phase I think (W2 with some synidcations, some other alternative investments, stocks, etc).

A physical property that has real-world use and value vs. holding stocks and bonds5.