There is another variable to this equation and that is the stupid questions mothers ask and the nonsense and standards they keep in looking for a shidduch for their sons. By the time boys take over the process of looking for a shidduch for themselves they are already in the “older” category. Boys have certain criteria and then their mothers add to that. They really don’t have any normal mashpia telling them to look for a wife and not a fantasy, or look for their zivig and not the ideal that they have created on their lists.
I have said it many times. Take a walk on your main street and see what a sense of humor Hashem has. You would never think of matching up the happy couples Hashem has put together. Throw away your lists and start thinking seriously about what Hashem has in mind for you. An inch or two here or there should not make such a difference. A year or two here of there should not make such a difference. When you are a year or two or more into the dating scene you have to think hard about what is truly important.