While there is no harm in looking at some properties before you put your own home on the market, to gain an idea of what you can get for your money and what is available in the area you’re interested in. However, until you have an offer on your current property, you are not in a proceedable position so there is less chance of a potential vendor accepting an offer, especially if there are other interested parties who are able to proceed at that point.
It can be heart breaking to find the home of your dreams and lose out on it due to not yet being able to sell your current property in time. The exception would be if you don’t require the funds from selling your current home in order to buy your next property.
We can give you advice on your specific situation but we generally advise to get your home on the market before seriously looking for a new property.