The problem with Deep South heat is it's a humid heat. The air conditioning will definitely help.
Fireplace? If you want one.
I think you know the old Southern cliche about parking cars on the lawn. This is true, and the reason everyone does it is most houses in the South were either built with no covered parking whatsoever, a single-car carport with a room at the back for your laundry equipment and tools, or a single-car garage you don't actually park in because you've turned it into a wood shop.
There is a very good chance you won't be able to get a basement. The water table is REAL high in the South.
Another thing you probably won't be able to get is a covered front porch - the old stereotypical one you sit out on. People don't want to sit out there and listen to the cars go by. People still love to sit outside...but they build decks on the BACK of their homes.
I checked...Crossville has a sewer system. You should make sure any house you want to buy is already on it, because septic tanks are a pain in the ass and tapping into a sewer system is not cheap.