First Time Home Buyer Needs Advice on Private Lenders

[Zakary Call]

Hey Everyone, 

I am a first time home buyer in the Phoenix AZ area looking to begin my real estate investing journal and in need of some advice on Private Lenders. While doing some online research and requesting online quotes and have, in turn, found myself with a lot of unanswered questions.

All online quotes require a credit check, will getting multiple quote negatively affect my credit score?

What private lenders have you used in the past and would you recommend them?  Any that you would recommend to avoid?

I thought it was best to get pre-approved for a loan prior to looking at houses, but it seems that all online quotes require you to have a house in mind before getting a quote. How did you navigate this?

Advice on 30 yr /15 yr fixed rate mortgages vs. variable rate mortgages?

What strategies have you used to get the best financing available?

Any and all advice for a newbie would be greatly appreciated.