Should You Wait to Get Pre-Approved?

It Depends?  If you want to purchase a home in 3 to 6 months then you definitely want to get pre-approved. Why?  Until the mortgage lender has looked at your full financials (including bank statements, assets, liabilities, and credit score,etc) you have no real idea what a bank is willing to loan you for a home.  Once you know what the lender is willing to give you, you can then craft your search to focus only on those homes that will meet your budget. You do not want to waste time or fall in love with a home outside your budget or discover later that you could have afforded more!