We have just moved and have really thick carpet. Does this work on various heights? High pile? Thanks!

For a home vacuum you really want something with manual height adjustment; Oreck Vacuums are mainly designed for commercial carpet; which is more or less a really thin carpet; and commercial carpet is more or less a thin sheet of fabric covering a hard surface such has cement. So NO Oreck Vacuums are NOT ideal for home carpet at home you would be happier with something like the vacuum below (or) grab a Kirby Avalir off of e-bay for a good price. https://www.amazon.com/Hoover-WindTunnel-Capacity-Bagless-UH70811PC/dp/B00BC00QVK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519592670&sr=8-1&keywords=UH70811PC

How well does it pick up sand on tile floors

I don't have sand or tile floors. I live in Georgia's red clay country.

Does it work on hardwood floors?

I would say it would work well on hardwood floors, but after owning this Oreck for a year, I would not be inclined to purchase it again. It's hard to push on carpet and the cord is very heavy making it even more difficult to use. My previous Oreck was much lighter. I'd check it out at an Oreck Store before buying it on line.

Where do you put the 40' cord or can you wrap it around the bag on the vacuum? That seems to be the most issue for me?

It wraps around a loop at the top of the handle and around another handle 3/4 of the way down that is used to carry it upstairs. It's very easy to wrap and the cord stays put.