Struggling with 2nd House Hack

[David C Barth]

Have they changed the rules to make hacking impossible?

I currently own a duplex under an FHA loan. I've lived here for 2+ years and am looking to house hack again. But my lender is telling me that FHA regulation won't allow me to keep my current property and buy another under FHA unless I have 20% equity. I would otherwise qualify because i recently got married and am looking for a larger property.

Refinancing to a conventional loan requires 15% equity plus costs.

And the Freddy Mac Homepossible changed at the beginning of the year to require 15% down for a 2-4 unit.

Am I missing something? Is there a loan that i and my lender are missing? Anybody dealing with this problem?

Thanks for any help!