Even though mortgage pre-approval will hurt your credit score, it still has several benefits that make it worth it:
Gives you a definite idea of your budget
Increases your leverage to negotiate deals with sellers
Makes it easier to lock in a good interest rate
Ensures faster loan approval
Gives you an advantage over competing homebuyers who don’t have pre-approval
Getting pre-approved makes your mortgage more predictable—and makes it possible to get a better one, which will save you money. This almost always outweighs the small and temporary hit to your credit.