Nowadays, home equity loans have become more and more popular. Many homeowners are taking up this type of loan to assist them to overcome their financial hardships. For people with poor credit history, they can also apply for this type of loan because the loan requirements are quite low. The loan approval process can be completed fast if the right steps are taken.Let me share with you some practical steps which you can make use of:Step 1: Check your equityFirst thing first, before you apply for the loan, you are reminded to find out whether you have sufficient equity in your property or not. Calculating the equity is a simple task. You just need to subtract your current loan balance from the total value of your property.Step 2: Start looking for the lenderAfter knowing the equity, you will be able to know whether you are qualified for the loan or not. You can then start looking for the loan providers. To be frank, traditional banks do not offer bad credit home equity for people. Since your credit score is poor, you should refer to other specialized mortgage lenders for assistance. These special lenders offer financial assistance for people with bad credit. You can get the local real property agents to recommend you some reputable lenders. Besides, you can also search online to look for online lenders.Step 3: Find out the detailed information from the lendersHome equity loans come in different forms. Some lenders offer a lump sum of cash while some lenders offer credit line over a certain period of time. The interest rates vary from one lender to another, some are fixed and some are adjustable. Hence, you need to find out what packages the lenders are offering you.Step 4: Submit the necessary documentsIn order to speed up the loan approval process, you are required to submit all the necessary documents to the lenders. In general, the lenders will get an appraisal to evaluate the value of property before they approve your loan. If you want to be fast, you can hire the appraisal on your own. The loan providers normally require the loan applicants to bear the cost of the appraisal and other related fees. The loan transaction is considered completed after an agreement is signed by both lender and borrower.Last but not the least; we have to accept the fact that a bad credit home equity loan exposes the borrowers to some financial risks. If the borrowers fail to repay their loan, they will be losing their home sweet home. In order to avoid this incident, you need to make sure that you really can afford to pay back the loan with your current income.