Neal McDonough Stopped by Police, Says He Was House Hunting

Neal McDonough might need a realtor ... we've learned he was stopped and questioned by sheriff's deputies while driving around and knocking on doors, but he says he was just looking for his next home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the L.A. County Sheriff's Department got a call earlier this week about a man behaving suspiciously around a Westlake Village neighborhood.

We're told the person who called said the man was driving around, getting out of his car and knocking on some doors. The caller was concerned he was casing the area, and up to no good.

Of course, Neal's got a knack for playing bad guys really well (see "Minority Report") -- maybe too well since his mere appearance freaked out the caller.

Anyway, we're told deputies responded and made contact with the door knocker, only to realize he was Neal.

Law enforcement says Neal was super nice and told the deputies he was looking for a house to buy and was just checking out the neighborhood. Anyway, after a friendly chat -- kind of like the one Neal had with us on the TMZ Celebrity Tour -- it was clear no crimes were being committed.