If a minor heir lists a property for sale and both the listing and sale contracts are signed, what is the legal status of these contracts?

In the context of contract law, when a minor enters into a contract, such as listing a property for sale or signing a sale agreement, the contract is typically considered voidable. This means that the minor has the legal right to affirm or void the contract prior to reaching the age of majority or shortly thereafter.

The reasoning behind this legal principle is rooted in the idea of protecting minors from being bound by agreements they may not fully understand or that may not be in their best interest. Therefore, even though both the listing and sale contracts may have validly been signed, they do not have the same binding effect as contracts entered into by adults.

In contrast, contracts that are termed fulfilled, executed, or executory refer to different statuses of contractual obligations that do not specifically address the implications of a minor’s capacity to contract. A fulfilled contract denotes that all parties have performed their obligations, executed would imply completion of those obligations, and executory relates to contracts that have yet to be fully performed. However, none of these terms accurately reflect the unique situation involving a minor, which is why describing the contracts as voidable is the correct interpretation in this scenario.