Northern Virginia home buying Pre-qualification

Hi All! I live in NoVa and planning to purchase my first home late summer/fall once my current lease expires.

Im completely new to the whole process but am I understanding this correctly that its best to know what you can afford first to narrow down your home buying options. And this step is pre-qualification which is different from getting pre-approved? Any tips on where to get started with pre qualification and is it a good practice to get pre-qualification from 2-3 different lenders?

Sorry if I sound like a noob but just want to make sure I start this daunting process on the right note :)