Joseph: Yes, I do think that guys should consider slightly older girls. Both guy and girl are looking to get married. They should consider everyone else in the picture.
However, because there’s a lot of singles out there, it is necessary to narrow the search by eliminating group by group until you get down to individuals. So a yeshivish eligible should eliminate suggestions that are from a very different background, and vice versa. That is obvious, without even meeting anyone from that group because the life goals are so very far apart that it wouldn’t make a good marriage. But how can you eliminate the group of “everyone older than 23”? I don’t think you can. I think you can only eliminate them as individuals, and that requires a date.
I am saying this only in respect to “shidduch age” boys and girls. Obviously, a shidduch age boy or girl could eliminate the group of “older than shidduch age” because it is not just an age difference, but a stage of life difference. A 30 year old is a bit farther down the path than a 24 year old.