If you live in United States and do not own a house, you still can find many banks that are willing to offer you an unsecured loan. There are a lot of lenders in US that can give you unsecured loans for different purposes, as buying a car, paying for medical bills, wedding or even for debt consolidation.
And if you own a home but do not want to use it as collateral and risk to lose it, unsecured loans are also available to you to increase the value of your home with home improvement, for example.
The difference between unsecured and secured loan is that you are not required to pledge any asset as collateral. It makes unsecured loans risk free for you! It is the reason why they are more useful for the US tenants or people that do not own a home.
However, homeowners could also get unsecured loan if they want to borrow smaller amounts. The major requirement for you is that you should have a regular job or run a business to show you can repay your debt in time. It is the reason why your income and your job are the first factors banks will look at when you ask for unsecured loans.
If you have a clean past record of repaying your loans in time, you will easily get it without problems and at best term and conditions for you, because you show less risk for banks.
In United States, you can usually borrow up to $30000 with terms ranging from 5 to 15 years. But a huge disadvantage is that unsecured loans often have higher interest rates. But if you take time to shop and compare bank offers, you could find a low rate loan that suits your needs.
A last advice. Always shop online first! Online bank offers for unsecured loan usually have lower rate and they process your application without fees.
Related articles:

I prefer short term loans -they solve funds problem for immediate business starting. Their term is usually one year or less.