If you have bad credit, you might wonder how you're ever going to get the money that you need to get out of debt and restore your credit rating. As odd as it may seem, the answer to your problems might be another loan; taking out a debt consolidation loan can help you to repay part or all of your outstanding debts and leave you with only one payment to make each month instead of several.

Getting a debt consolidation loan while you have bad credit might seem impossible, but there are several ways that you can improve your chances of finding and receiving the loan that you need despite your less-than-perfect credit rating.

Here are some tips on how to improve your chances of getting the loan that you need, as well as some hints on where to look for lenders that will loan you the money even though your credit is bad.

Paying Down Your Debts

The first thing that you might do in order to increase your chances of getting the loan that you need is to spend a little time trying to pay down your debts and get most of them a bit more current. Even if you can't afford the minimum payments, you should try sending what you can afford to as many of your debtors as you can.

If you can make two or three payments that are more or less on time to some or all of your debtors, it can help you to make your case to a potential lender by showing that you're trying to repay your debts but need some help in getting the money.

Paying down your debts in this manner will also lower the total amount that you owe and in doing so reduce the amount that you'll have to borrow... which can also help a lender to make a decision.

Reducing the Number of Debts

Another way that you might be able to improve yourself in the eyes of potential lenders is by reducing the number of outstanding debts that you have. Instead of paying small amounts to several debtors, you might decide to try to pay off a select few debts in order to stop those debtors from continuing to make negative reports against your credit.

This can have a significant impact on how you look to potential lenders, though this method can cause some of your other debts to continue to grow because you're only making payments on certain debts.

Partial Consolidation

If you aren't able to borrow the money that you need to consolidate all of your debts, you might want to think about borrowing only enough to consolidate your largest debts. This will pay off the debts that you're going to have the most trouble with and replace them with a single payment, and it will reduce the amount that you're wanting to borrow enough that you shouldn't have much trouble finding a lender willing to offer you the consolidation loan.

Finding the Right Loan

The key to finding the right loan for your debt consolidation is to keep your options open. Request loan quotes from a variety of lenders, including finance companies and online lenders, using a high-value item or home equity as collateral to secure the loan. You'll likely be paying a higher interest rate than you would if you had better credit, but by taking the time to compare loan quotes you should be able to find the best interest rate that you can get.

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About the author:

John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help homeowners find the best available loans via the www.directonlineloans. co.uk website.