We check your credit before pre-approving your mortgage to give you a reliable pre-approval letter and rate quote. It's a hard inquiry that reports to the credit bureaus and affects your credit score. Therefore, we always ask for your permission first.
The report and score are good for 4 months. Multiple inquiries by lenders within 45 days count as 1 inquiry. So your credit will be okay if the last is within 45 days of the first. But, credit checks after the 45-day window may lower your score.
To keep your inquiries low and your score high, allow only one lender to check your credit for your pre-approval letter. Choose a lender that verifies your financial information. This way, you have the best chance that the sellers will accept your offer to buy their home. Then, after you're under contract, you'll have plenty of time to shop and compare loan offers.