When the typical person needs fast access to cash that they do not currently have in the bank, the first thought that comes to mind is, “Where can I qualify for a loan?” This is a natural question.The answer to that question for most folks is through a personal loan, an auto title loan, or borrowing against a credit card. However, each of these options for getting money fast involves paying very high interest rates.However, if you are a homeowner, you may have another option for getting funded for a loan that does not require that you pay such a high interest rate: taking out a second mortgage, or what is typically known as a home equity loan.If you have a bad credit score, you may be hesitant about taking out this type of loan. And, you may have a legitimate reason to be concerned if your only plan is to contact regular home equity lenders. Fortunately, there are other ways to get funded that are better and faster – even if you have bad credit.If you want to find home equity lenders for bad credit individuals, here are 5 steps to getting funded:1. Get a handle on how much money you need to borrow against your house’s equity:Start by using pen, paper and a calculator – or your computer’s spreadsheet software – and calculate exactly how much you need to borrow. Add up any major expenses, high-interest debts to pay off and any unusually large expenditures you will need to make soon.2. Get your house’s value appraised:Next, hire a professional appraiser to tell you the value of your home. If that is too costly for you, ask a real estate agent you know to run the “comparable listings” on your home to find out what homes like yours are typically going for.3. Calculate how much you can realistically borrow:Different second mortgage (equity) loans have different terms. One such term is the loan-to-value (LTV). This is the maximum amount you can borrow, including your first mortgage and the equity loan. For example, a 70% LTV loan would mean you can borrow up to 70% of your home’s value.4. Get in touch with bad credit equity lenders:Run a search of bad credit equity lenders. Why? Because they are used to working with bad credit individuals like you. In fact, they seek them out because they know how to determine borrowers’ creditworthiness without just focusing on the credit score.5. Make sure you actually submit loan applications to at least 5 lenders:Now, follow through with submitting applications to at least 5 of these lenders. Do not stop at just 3 or 4, since doing so might mean you are passing up the best deal.Following these 5 steps to getting funded as you look for equity lenders, even if you have a low credit score.