Deal or loan first??

[Justin Kroepfl]

Hey all I am looking at jumping into my first property here soon but I am not sure where to start. I have found a couple of properties I am interested in purchasing rehabbing a little and renting out. I have used the calculator and the deals look great but I do not have financing in line at this point. I am planning on using Hard or private money and then refinancing after a few months. Should I call and make an offer on the property first then if accepted find a lender to work with or do these types of lenders do any kind of preapproval process? Any info is greatly appreciated!!