It's not unusual for young commercial property agents to begin their careers straight out of school, but in the case of Chris Antos, the story begins on the other side of the classroom.

The Sales and Leasing Executive was teaching French part-time at Canberra Grammar when a chance meeting with Laing+Simmons Managing Director Alex Smith prompted him to pursue a career in real estate.

Mr Antos said the timing couldn't have been better.

"After I graduated uni, I was teaching part-time and also working as a waiter," he said. 

"When I met Alex, he said I would be great in real estate, which I had never even considered before.

"It got to the point where I wasn't doing anything else, so I thought I would give it a try and I haven't looked back.

His commercial property journey will reach a new milestone at the end of this month when he joins the other Commercial Salesperson of the Year nominees at the REIA Awards for Excellence ceremony in Perth.

It comes after he was named the Real Estate Insititute of ACT Commercial Salesperson of the Year for 2018.

Chris Antos of Laing+Simmons Canberra. Source: Laing+Simmons Canberra

The 26-year-old said he was humbled by the recognition. 

"I am very fortunate in my role that I am surrounded by a great team," he said.

"The growth in Canberra throughout the past year meant there was a bit of a void in the commercial market for me to really step up and establish a presence.

"I really hope I can continue that momentum this year."

Mr Antos said national market concern and a looming Federal election had yet to make an impact on his workload.

"I've never been busier, to be honest," he said.

"It's getting to the point where people are coming to me to list their properties, which is a really nice feeling.

"For someone who is in their fourth year of real estate, it's a great position to be in."

The 14th annual REIA  National Awards for Excellence will be held at Crown Perth on Thursday, March 21.

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