It has been a common practice to create joint tenancy in real estate holdings solely for the purpose of providing a succession of ownership upon death without the expense and delay of probate proceedings. Under joint ownership, however, either of the joint tenants is given an immediate interest in the ownership and management of that property, and in many cases, it handicaps the real owner as he or she cannot deal with the property without the written consent of the joint owner and the other spouse.
Under a land trust agreement, the party creating the trust can retain sole control over the property during his or her lifetime, with the desired succession in ownership becoming effective upon death without, under certain conditions, the expense of going through probate proceedings. This can be especially helpful to those who live out of state but own real estate in this state. They will not need to institute separate probate proceedings here but can have the land trust property administered in their home states.
Source: IDFPR
The Law Office of Beth Mann, P.C. 