single home owner looking to buy an investment duplex property

[Jerry L.]

Hi everyone, new to the forum. Looking for some info let me put down my current situation below. 

My wife and I are currently a single home owner in the Kansas City area. We owe roughly around $110k on the loan, the house came back at $230k appraised. I am the only one working, my wife stays at home watching the kiddos and finishing up her schooling. We want to get our feet wet in RE with a duplex. Plan is to move out with my dad and rent out the current home. We'll look for a duplex in the process and take out a HELOC from the single home for down payment on the duplex.

I was contacting my loan officer, he helped me structured the loan on my single home purchase. He mentioned it would be very hard for me to get approved for a duplex when we already own a single home. Because the UW will know that we obviously are buying the duplex as an investment property. 

What other options do I have around this?