Hi Tabitha.
IMHO, is buying a property for cash your best option for ROI? Often times, it's not although many buyers do that.
Depending on a number of items, couldn't you take that same cash and purchase multiple properties to rent?
In many cases, the short answer is 'yes.'
If your goal is to acquire a home to rent and earn income, purchasing multiple properties in a practical time frame can provide you with a substantial monthly cash flow opportunity when comparing it to purchasing a single property with cash.
There are various ways to do make those purchases with that cash and make better use of that money that you would be borrowing.
If you are purchasing for personal use, learn how to purchase property with very little cash so that you are not on the hook for more than necessary.
You'll pay much more for a house if you think in traditional terms.
There are so many other ways to purchase whereby you could have more square footage/dollar than a traditional purchase would provide.
Think outside of the box.
Just a thought.