Although only certain leases are currently accounted for as a sale or purchase, considering all leases to be sales or purchases can be justified theoretically. The principal reason that supports this idea is that all leases are generally for the economic life of the property, and the residual value of the property at the end of the lease is minimal at the end of the lease, the property usually can be purchased by the lessee a lease reflects the purchase or sale of a quantifiable right to the use of property during the life of the lease, the lessee can effectively treat the property as if it were owned