Shim is a commissioned-report service operated by Field Assembly LLC, a Massachusetts limited liability company ("Field Assembly," "we," "us," or "our"). Shim produces written research and analysis reports for real estate transactions ("Reports") on a commission basis. Shim is not a law firm, licensed real estate brokerage, licensed appraiser, certified home inspection company, or any other licensed professional service. Reports are informational products, not professional advice in any regulated sense.
By submitting a commission intake form, making payment, or otherwise engaging with the Shim service, you ("Client") agree to these Terms of Service ("Terms") on behalf of yourself and, if applicable, any entity you represent. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not submit an intake form or make a payment.
These Terms govern your relationship with Field Assembly in connection with all Shim reports. They do not govern your relationship with any real estate agent, attorney, inspector, lender, or other professional you separately engage.
Shim produces commissioned research and analysis reports for real estate transactions. Each report is produced by a single trained operator using LLM-assisted document extraction and analysis, followed by operator review and judgment. Reports are delivered as a paired set: a structured analysis PDF and an editable companion document (a letter, form, or memo), as specified for the applicable report type.
The following report types are or will be offered under the Shim service: Inspection Analysis (currently available in the Atlanta, GA metro), HOA Review, Permit History, Tax Appeal, Appraisal Reconsideration, New Construction Closeout, Termite Letter, Landlord Response, and Disclosure Audit. Only report types explicitly listed as "Available" on the Shim website are open for commission at any given time. Field Assembly reserves the right to expand or discontinue report types, and to adjust geographic availability, without advance notice.
Shim does not provide access to software, a platform, a subscription product, or a continuous advisory relationship. Each commission is a discrete, one-time engagement for a specific deliverable.
To commission a report, the Client submits an intake form specific to the report type, along with the required source documents. By submitting an intake form, the Client represents that: (a) all documents submitted are authentic and unaltered; (b) the Client has the legal right to share those documents with Field Assembly for the purpose of producing the commissioned report; and (c) the information provided in the intake form is accurate to the best of the Client's knowledge.
Submission of an intake form does not create a binding engagement. Field Assembly will review each intake and confirm scope, price, and estimated turnaround in a written acceptance. Field Assembly may decline any commission, for any reason or no reason, including but not limited to: insufficient source documents, documents outside the supported jurisdiction, scheduling capacity, or scope that exceeds what Shim covers.
A commission is accepted only when Field Assembly sends a written acceptance and the Client makes full payment. No work begins before acceptance and payment are both complete.
Field Assembly targets a turnaround of 24 to 72 hours from the time a commission is accepted and payment is received, depending on document length, report type, and scheduling. Turnaround estimates provided at intake are targets, not guarantees. Field Assembly will communicate proactively if production is expected to exceed the estimated window. Field Assembly is not liable for any loss or missed deadline resulting from a failure to deliver within the estimated turnaround, provided Field Assembly exercises reasonable efforts to deliver promptly.
Completed reports are delivered via email to the address provided in the intake form. Delivery is deemed complete upon transmission by Field Assembly, regardless of whether the Client retrieves the files. Field Assembly will make reasonable efforts to redeliver if the Client reports non-receipt within 48 hours of the expected delivery window.
Reports are priced at a flat fee per report, disclosed to the Client in Field Assembly's written acceptance before the commission begins. Pricing is not contingent on the outcome of any transaction or the content of the report. Field Assembly does not accept contingency arrangements or success-based fees.
Payment is due in full upon or before Field Assembly's written acceptance of the commission. Field Assembly accepts payment via Stripe. Payment processing is handled by Stripe; Field Assembly does not store payment card information directly. All fees are in U.S. dollars. Taxes, if applicable, are the Client's responsibility.
A Client may cancel a commission by written notice to Field Assembly before production has begun. Field Assembly will issue a full refund of the fee paid, less any non-recoverable payment processing fees. Field Assembly will confirm whether production has begun upon request.
If a Client requests cancellation after production has begun but before delivery, Field Assembly may at its discretion: (a) deliver a partially completed report with no refund, (b) issue a partial refund reflecting work not yet performed, or (c) complete and deliver the full report with no refund. Field Assembly will communicate the available options promptly upon receiving a cancellation request.
If a Client believes a delivered report contains a material error — a factual misstatement, a missed finding clearly present in the source documents, or a failure to deliver a component specified in the engagement — the Client must notify Field Assembly in writing within 7 calendar days of delivery. Field Assembly will review the claim and, if it determines a material error occurred, will issue a revised report or a partial or full refund at its discretion. Disagreement with the operator's analysis, interpretations, or conclusions does not constitute a material error.
Except as provided above, all fees are non-refundable. Field Assembly will not issue refunds based on: the outcome of any transaction, the Client's decision not to act on the report, inability to use the report within a contingency window, changes in the Client's circumstances, or dissatisfaction with the report's conclusions.
By commissioning a report, the Client represents and warrants that all source documents submitted are authentic, unaltered, and obtained lawfully; that the Client holds all necessary rights to share those documents with Field Assembly; that the report will be used solely for lawful purposes in connection with the Client's own real estate transaction or property-related matter; that the Client will not redistribute or resell the report to any third party for commercial purposes without Field Assembly's prior written consent; and that the Client will not represent the report as the product of a licensed attorney, appraiser, home inspector, real estate agent, or other regulated professional.
Upon delivery and full payment, Field Assembly grants the Client a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the delivered report for the Client's personal or internal business use in connection with the specific transaction for which it was commissioned. The Client may share the report with their own agents, attorneys, or counterparties as part of that transaction.
Field Assembly retains all rights in the underlying methodology, prompts, templates, production workflows, and derivative know-how used to produce reports. Delivery of a report does not transfer any intellectual property rights in those underlying materials. The Client may not reverse-engineer, reproduce, or distribute any report for commercial purposes.
Field Assembly is not a law firm. No report creates an attorney-client relationship. Field Assembly is not a licensed appraiser — Appraisal Reconsideration reports are research-based arguments, not USPAP appraisals. Field Assembly is not a licensed home inspector — Inspection Analysis reports are analyses of third-party inspection reports, not re-inspections. Field Assembly is not a licensed real estate broker or agent. No Shim report constitutes a recommendation to buy, sell, or withdraw from any transaction.
Reports may be informed by LLM-assisted document extraction. The operator reviews all AI-generated findings before delivery, but Field Assembly does not warrant that reports are free from error. The full Professional Disclaimer is incorporated into these Terms by reference.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, FIELD ASSEMBLY'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO THE CLIENT FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO A SHIM REPORT OR THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY THE CLIENT FOR THE SPECIFIC REPORT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.
IN NO EVENT SHALL FIELD ASSEMBLY BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, LOST TRANSACTION VALUE, COSTS OF ALTERNATIVE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, OR ANY OTHER ECONOMIC LOSS, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, STATUTE, OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF FIELD ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
The limitations in this section apply to the fullest extent permitted by law.
The Client agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Field Assembly, its members, managers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, losses, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: (a) the Client's breach of these Terms; (b) the Client's misuse of any report; (c) the Client's representations or warranties proving false; or (d) any claim by a third party based on the Client's use or sharing of a report in a manner inconsistent with these Terms.
Source documents submitted by the Client are processed on the operator's local machine and may also be transmitted to Anthropic's Claude API for LLM-assisted extraction. They are not stored in any cloud database or third-party analytics platform in connection with report production. After a report is delivered, source documents are purged from the working record within 30 days.
Field Assembly's collection, use, and handling of personal information is governed by the Privacy Policy, incorporated into these Terms by reference. By commissioning a report, the Client acknowledges having read the Privacy Policy.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Massachusetts, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising under or in connection with these Terms that cannot be resolved informally shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state or federal courts located in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
Before initiating formal proceedings, the Client agrees to contact Field Assembly in writing at hello@fieldassembly.net and provide at least 30 days to attempt informal resolution.
Any claim arising out of or related to a Shim report or these Terms must be brought within one (1) year after the claim arises or is discovered, whichever is earlier. Claims not brought within this period are waived.
Field Assembly may update these Terms at any time. Updated Terms will be posted on this page with a revised effective date. For any commission accepted after the effective date of revised Terms, the revised Terms apply. Commissions accepted before a revision are governed by the Terms in effect at the time of acceptance.
Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with the written acceptance of a commission and the Privacy Policy and Professional Disclaimer incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between the Client and Field Assembly for the applicable commission.
Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions continue in full force.
No Waiver. Failure by Field Assembly to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision.
Assignment. The Client may not assign these Terms without Field Assembly's prior written consent. Field Assembly may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or transfer of substantially all of its assets.
No Agency. Nothing in these Terms creates an employment, partnership, joint venture, or agency relationship between Field Assembly and the Client.
Field Assembly LLC
Massachusetts
Email: hello@fieldassembly.net