Two separate issues here: is it a “nice” place, and is it a “good” deal? The former is a personal choice, the latter, a matter of cost. Can you share how much per acre your friend paid?

From a development perspective, I think the land in that area will be desirable for development… in the next boom cycle, about 5-10 years from now. Until then, it’s just gonna sit there. (They may not be making any more California desert land, but when it was made, they made a lot of it.)

(Personally, I would aim higher up the mountains to take off a few degrees from the summer heat… once the IE fills in, cooler land up the slopes will gain in relative value as the nearest escape…)