Meghan & Harry Spur Realtor Free-for-All, Says 'MDL' Star Josh Altman

Josh Altman -- one of the many realtors to the stars in Hollywood -- says Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are cream of the crop clients every agent is clamoring for right now -- but if they were under his wing, he'd have one key piece of advice for them ... gated or bust.

The 'Million Dollar Listing' star tells TMZ ... everybody in the real estate game in L.A. knows someone who knows the Sussex couple -- and every big shot realtor wants a bite at the Royal apple now that they're officially doing some home shopping in the City of Angels.

Josh says he isn't repping them himself, but if he was their agent, he'd strongly suggest getting a house that's tucked away and firmly secure, to keep paparazzi and other crazies away. He's got a neighborhood in mind for reference, which has two exits out of the gated community ... something he thinks they want.

As we've seen in the recent past ... Meg and Harry value their privacy, and have at times gone to great lengths to close themselves off -- even making threats when they feel it's being violated. It'll probably only get worse in La La Land, so maybe listen to Josh here.

TMZ broke the story ... sources with direct knowledge tell us Meghan and Harry are looking in Bel-Air and their range is $12 to $18 mil. It's unlikely they'd end up in a gated community in Bel-Air, but they'd almost certainly have a gated estate with security.

BTW, JA also talks about the housing market and what he thinks is going to happen once the coronavirus pandemic is under control. Long story short ... it's a great time to buy, so that means it'll probably be properties galore for the newbies in town too.