Some of the numbers seem so arbitrary that I still think I’m missing something.
I’m seeing things like a sale in 2005 for $450k, foreclosure listed as a sale in 2008 for $550k, and immediately placed on the market for $399k.
It would make some sense if the $550k represented the total amount owed on the property when foreclosed, as Diego suggested, but to record $550k on the tax roll still makes no sense to me.