Choose one or more lender for loan approval?

[Kevin S.]

Hi everyone. Need some advice from lenders as well as experienced investors. I am getting ready to choose my lender from several I spoke to. Should I choose only one lender to qualify me or more than one? How will my credit be affected if more than one lender do hard credit check? Is it true that multiple lender can do hard check within 45 days without affecting my credit? If so, how many hard checks? Experienced investors, please share how you guys navigate this especially when you buy multiple properties in a year. I am looking to buy my first investment SFR property.

Also, how do I go about it when I have a freeze on my credit?  Can I unfreeze it only for few minutes or hour while lender do the check?  I haven't applied for any loan/mortgage since I put a freeze on my credit.  Don't know how it's done.  Thanks in advance.