I have 6 short-term rental properties. People think real estate is passive income, but I disagree. [Video]

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Kerri Gibson, 48, based in Orford, Quebec, about her short-term rental business, Chalets Hygge. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I‘m a CPA by training and spent roughly two decades working primarily in tax and accounting technology.

It was a high-paced, high-stress career, and in 2017, when I was on the brink of burnout, I decided to resign.

During my time off, my partner and I decided to buy a house in our neighborhood and flip it. We’d previously renovated our home and really enjoyed it, and we talked about doing it again.

While renovating it, we found we had a knack for architecture and design. A friend advised me to keep the house because it was in an area zoned for short-term rentals.

We started renting out the house on Airbnb. We became passionate about …