One corner of my 70-year-old brick home is looking damaged. Inside the house, I first noticed the paint cracked and buckling up in the corner of the room. When I inspected the outside, it looked like a small window there was bending along the top lintel (?) and there had been some cracking around nearby bricks. We have had heavy rains recently, so I don't know if this is water damage or the house settling - or both.

Please do not ask me to submit a picture; I am not good technically with that!

My question is actually whether to call a building inspector before calling a contractor. I'm concerned contractors might begin "finding" problems that may result in unnecessary repairs. Many thanks for your advice.